As javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Sunday became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Athletic Championships 2023 held in Budapest, Hungary, Pakistan's ace javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, too, created history by winning a silver medal for his country.
However, given that the players belong to countries that are often at odds, any sport or competition between the two sides is often reduced to a controversy tinted with political hues.
So it comes as little surprise that despite the fact that Neeraj and Arshad have shown mutual respect to each other, an Indian journalist tried to reduce the celebration to a battle royale between the two countries.
However, Neeraj's mother, Saroj Devi, wasn't having that. In a recent interview, she schooled the reporter for asking an inflammatory question, aimed at adding a political tint to her son's achievement, and won over netizens.
"How big of an achievement it was for Neeraj to defeat the Pakistani?" the reporter asked, to which she replied: "There is no division of countries on the field all players are equal."
"In the field, everyone is an athlete, and someone has to win; it doesn't matter if they are from Pakistan or from Haryana," Saroj said.
She further said: "It is a matter [Neeraj's victory] of joy for me and I am happy for the Pakistani athlete as well."
Despite being fierce competitors on the field, both Neeraj and Arshad Nadeem's off-field camaraderie is exemplary.
During the Tokyo Olympics final in 2021, Neeraj jumped to his Pakistani counterpart's defence after Arshad was caught in a controversy for practicing with Neeraj's spear and accused of "tampering" with the Indian's gold medal-winning spear.
"There was nothing wrong with Arshad Nadeem using my javelin to prepare. It is within rules, and please do not use my name to push a dirty agenda," Neeraj Chopra said.
Even at the Budapest World Championships, the Indian player urged Nadeem to join him for a photo-op. Their heartwarming scenes won over social media and sent a message of unity to both countries.
