Neeraj Chopra says he was 'never really close friends' with Arshad Nadeem: 'Things won’t be the same after this'

Javelin star Neeraj Chopra dropped a huge statement on his friendship with rival Arshad Nadeem in the aftermath of the recent military showdown between India and Pakistan during a press conference ahead of the Doha Diamond League.

Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra’s friendship with Pakistani rival Arshad Nadeem off the field has been a major talking point in their careers, especially in last year’s Paris Olympics in which
the two stood on the podium together
. Their incredible achievements not only highlighted India and Pakistan’s rise in the world of athletics – a sporting discipline that is nowhere on the same level as cricket in the Indian subcontinent – it also shone light on the role that sport played in bringing people from different nations together, even those that have shared political hostilities for decades.

The recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the subsequent military showdown between India and Pakistan, however, changed that narrative completely. Chopra, who has already cemented his legacy as India’s greatest athlete of all time at the age of 27 with an Olympic gold and silver, has stated that things “won’t be the same” between him and Nadeem going forward.

Chopra, who had been
conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel
with the Territorial Army earlier this week, added that he wasn’t exactly friends with the Pakistani javelin star, who had won gold in the Paris 2024 Games, but had always reciprocated respectful behaviour from others.

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