Arjun Kapoor Praises Olympic Gold Winner Neeraj Chopra For Successfully Battling With Obesity; Says ‘You Are Such An Inspiration To Me’
Arjun Kapoor, who himself once battled with weight issues, heaps praises on Olympic gold winner Neeraj Chopra who battled and overcame obesity. He calls Neeraj his and the country’s inspiration
Neeraj Chopra won independent India's first-ever athletics medal on Saturday after capturing gold in the javelin throw final at the Tokyo Olympics. Following this, celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Kangana Ranaut, Varun Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor and many more congratulated the star athlete. Now, actor Arjun Kapoor has heaped praises on Neeraj Chopra, but for a different reason. Arjun, who has himself battled with weight issues, called Neeraj his inspiration as the sportsperson had also once battled and overcome obesity. Reportedly, Neeraj weighed 90 kilos at the age of 12.
After learning about his journey, Arjun Kapoor took to his Instagram stories and wrote, "Just battling obesity can be physically and mentally exhausting. This boy has not just overcome that, he has kept his eyes on the prize to ace an Olympic gold medal. Neeraj, you are such an inspiration to me and for the country.” According to an Indiatimes report, during his younger days, Neeraj used to jog at Shivaji Stadium where he got a chance to meet javelin thrower, Jai Choudhary.
Recalling the days, Jai told the portal, “One evening at the stadium, I just asked him to throw the javelin. It travelled about 35-40m, which was pretty impressive for a first-timer. What I liked more was the way he threw it. Neeraj used to be overweight those days. But his body was pretty flexible.”
Earlier, in an interview, Arjun had revealed he wasn’t just an overweight kid but had a health condition. “I was just not a fat kid, it was a health issue. It hasn't been easy. My underlying health condition has always made it a struggle for me to constantly stay a certain size,” he said. ALSO READ: Arjun Kapoor Shares A Quirky Then-And-Now Post On His Body Transformation: ‘Pehle Main Bohot Mota, Bohot Pareshan Tha'
Image source: Instagram/ neeraj____chopra/ arjunkapoor