We were never really close friends: Neeraj Chopra on Arshad Nadeem
Doha, May 15 (PTI): Seeking to set the record straight, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Thursday clarified that he and Arshad Nadeem were never really close friends and said "things won't be the same" after the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
In the aftermath of last month's Pahalgam terror attack, the decorated athlete and his family were bombarded with abuse on social media for inviting Pakistan's Nadeem to the now-postponed NC Classic in Bengaluru.
On the eve of the Diamond League here, the two-time Olympic medallist and reigning world champion put things in perspective when asked about his off-field equation with Nadeem, who won the gold medal in the Paris Games last year after the Indian finished at the top of the podium in the Tokyo edition in 2021..
"First I would like to clarify that I don't have very strong relationship (with Nadeem), we were never really close friends or something. But, because of this (tensions on the Indo-Pak border), it will not be like before. But if someone talks to me respectfully I reciprocate the respect," Chopra told reporters during a press conference.
"Yes, as an athlete we have to talk, I have some good friends from the athlete community from all round the world, not only in javelin throw, but also other events. If somebody talks to me respectfully, I will also talk to him with full respect..
"Javelin is a very small community and everyone is competing for their country and everyone wants to give their best.".
The Paris Games silver-winning star from Haryana had earlier said he was deeply hurt to see his and his family's integrity being questioned in abusive social media posts after an invitation was extended to Nadeem to compete in the tournament held in his honour.
Chopra had then clarified that invites for NC Classic were sent out a day before the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists with links to Pakistan..
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Rupee rises 28 paise to 92.86 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee jumped 28 paise to 92.86 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday amid hopes of easing geopolitical tensions and positive sentiment in domestic equity markets.
Buying of Indian equities by foreign investors also supported the local currency even though it stayed under pressure due to a firm dollar, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 92.93 and gained further to trade at 92.86 against the greenback in early deals, up 28 paise from the previous closing level.
On Thursday, the rupee strengthened 19 paise to settle at 93.14 against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose by 0.05 per cent at 98.07.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 1.16 per cent down at USD 98.24 per barrel in futures trade.
Analysts said that crude oil prices fell below USD 100/barrel amid expectations that the crisis in West Asia would soon come to an end.
In a latest development on the geopolitical front, China, a close ally of Iran and the largest importer of Iranian oil, has asked Tehran to ensure freedom and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key international trade route.
Besides, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, which could also boost the peace efforts towards ending the devastating war involving the US, Israel and Iran.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex gained 176.08 points or 0.23 per cent to 78,164.76 in early trade, while the Nifty rose 33.90 points or 0.14 per cent to 24,232.60.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers on Thursday, as they bought equities worth Rs 382.36 crore, according to exchange data.
