‘Mujhe yeh darr hai bas…’: Neeraj Chopra on Vinesh Phogat’s CAS appeal for Olympic silver

Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is keeping his fingers crossed for wrestler Vinesh Phogat as she awaits a verdict on her appeal against disqualification from the Games but at the same time, he is also hoping that “people don’t forget what she did for the country” if the decision is not in her favour.

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Vinesh was found to be 100 grams overweight before her final in the 50kg category on Wednesday, and she has filed an appeal against her disqualification with the ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A ruling on her appeal is anticipated by 9:30 PM IST.

Chopra, who secured his second consecutive Olympic medal—a silver to complement his Tokyo gold—stated that he hopes Vinesh will receive the medal. His reasoning is straightforward: “people shouldn’t forget her.”

“If she gets the medal, it would be very good. If things had not panned out the way they did, she would have had the medal. I hope she gets it because if you don’t have it around your neck, that thing stays in your heart,” the 26-year-old Chopra told reporters at ‘India House’ after a felicitation by IOC member and Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani, PTI reported.

“Today people might say that she is our champion but they will forget after a few days. Agar aisa na hota, a medal wouldn’t have mattered. So, I hope she gets the medal. I just hope whether she gets the medal or not, people don’t forget what she did for the country,” he said.

Chopra is the first track-and-field athlete from the country to win two Olympic medals. His gold medal in Tokyo remains an unparalleled achievement in Indian athletics.