Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won India's only silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics came out in support of fellow Indian Olympian and wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the competition.
Phogat, who was disqualified from her wrestling freestyle 50kg gold medal match, after being found overweight by 100 grams on the morning of her bout, has now appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), to receive at least a silver medal.
The Indian wrestler had earlier defeated world number 1 and the gold medalist of the Tokyo 2020 games, Yui Sasaki of Japan to start her tournament, followed by a 5-0 semi-final victory against Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semifinals.
She was guaranteed with at least a silver medal as she had qualified for the final (gold medal match) but the disqualification meant that she would return home without any medal.
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What did Neeraj Chopra say about Vinesh Phogat's appeal for an Olympic silver medal after disqualification?
Neeraj Chopra, who won the silver medal at the Men's javelin throw in the Paris 2024 Olympics was talking to the media during a felicitation ceremony by Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani.
"If she gets the medal, it would be very good. If things had not turned out the way they did, a medal was guaranteed for her. I hope she gets it because if you don't have it around your neck, we have some regret in our heart, people remember us for some time and say we are their champions but if we don't get the medal they forget us as well," the 26-year-old told reporters
"Today people might say we are champions but, I feel that unless we are on the podium they will forget after a few days. Mujhe yeh darr hai bas. Agar aisa na hota [I am afraid of that bit, if she doesn't get medal]. I hope she gets the medal, but I just hope that whether she gets the medal or not, people don't forget what Vinesh did for the country," he added.
#WATCH | Paris: On Sports Court CAS's hearing of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, Olympic Silver medallist, Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra says "All of us know that if she gets the medal it will be really good. She would have got the medal if such a situation did not arise. If we… pic.twitter.com/TtKWF11Yzk
— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2024
The verdict for Vinesh Phogat's appeal to the CAS has now been extended and is expected to be announced at 9:30 PM IST, on Sunday, August 11.
MORE: How Aman Sehrawat lost 4.6kg before the wrestling bronze medal match weigh-in
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