NEW DELHI: Raziah Parveen, the mother of Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem, shared her affection for Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, referring to him as both a friend and a brother to her son in a heartwarming display of sportsmanship and cross-border camaraderie.
Parveen expressed her sentiment following Nadeem’s historic victory in the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a win that marked Pakistan’s first Olympic medal in over three decades, its first gold in forty years, and first-ever gold medal in track and field events.
Parveen revealed that she had been praying for the success of both athletes. “Woh bhi mere bete jaisa hai. Woh Nadeem ka dost bhi, hai bhai bhi hai (He is like a son to me. He is Nadeem’s friend, and also like a brother),” she told Pakistani media.

Nadeem’s triumph was celebrated with his family members offering sweets to his mother. Despite facing challenges such as training with outdated equipment and limited access to modern training facilities — a stark contrast to the resources available to his international counterparts — Nadeem’s dedication and skill propelled him to Olympic glory.
His achievement not only fulfilled a promise to his mother to excel and bring honour to Pakistan but also set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters.
On the other hand, Saroj Devi, Neeraj’s mother, also expressed a sentiment of universal kinship, stating her happiness with her son’s silver medal and acknowledging Nadeem’s gold as a victory for a “child” she also holds dear.

“We are very happy with the silver, the one who got gold is also our child and the one who got silver is also our child….all are athletes, all work hard,” Saroj said.
The spirit of mutual respect and support was further exemplified by Neeraj Chopra, who secured the silver medal with a throw of 89.45 meters at the Paris Olympics. Earlier in the year, Chopra had publicly advocated for the Pakistani government to provide Nadeem with better support.