New Delhi: The camaraderie between Indian superstar Neeraj Chopra and Pakistani javelin ace Arshad Nadeem shows that sport transcends boundaries and unites people, says former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.

On Thursday, Nadeem won the gold medal in Paris with a stunning Olympic record throw of 92.97m, while defending champion Chopra took silver with his season’s best of 89.45m.

“We saw some good pictures of Neeraj and Nadeem talking to each other after the ceremony… both holding their own flags and respecting each other as sportspeople. This shows that sports has no boundaries and unites everyone. This is a great message from both of them,” Harbhajan said.

“See, it’s like India-Pakistan. When we played against Pakistan in cricket, of course we were very competitive on the field, but off the field we have a good bond.”

The 44-year-old off-spinner, who currently sits as a member of the Rajya Sabha, also alluded to Chopra’s mother’s statement after the javelin final in Paris.

“Neeraj’s mother made a great statement which was that even the gold winner (Nadeem) is a mother’s son and he is like our own son. So it’s nice to see that kind of statement and obviously sports is something that goes beyond that.

“Congratulations to him (Nadeem) for winning the gold medal and to Neeraj, he is our pride, our hero, he is a legend.” Harbhajan said Chopra was an inspiration to the younger generation with his performances on and off the field.

“What he has achieved is great for all of us. Flying the flag is our top priority. As an athlete, I can understand that you always want to finish at the top, but sport is about doing your best and he did his best even if he couldn’t win gold.

“But he has won many hearts and definitely inspired generations. Congratulations to Neeraj for winning two medals in a row for India. It’s a great thing,” said Harbhajan, one of India’s greatest spinners.

Harbhajan also expressed disappointment over the disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the gold medal bout in the 50 kg category due to his overweight of 100 grams. She then surprisingly announced her retirement after appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“It is very disappointing and sad that Vinesh cannot compete in the final just because she weighs 100 grams too much. 100 grams is nothing special, but the rules at the Olympics are the same and apply to everyone.”

“As a sportswoman, she must obviously be going through a lot. All we can say is that we stand by her during this difficult time and hopefully she will recover one day because going through something like this is very difficult for anyone as she was so close to winning a medal for India.

“It’s very disappointing not to see her with the gold medal, but she is our gold medal, she is our pride, she is our nation’s hero.”

He declined to comment on whether the problem could have been handled better.

“Of course they have the team, they worked really hard to fix the situation, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”