'If Neeraj Chopra wins gold...': Rishabh Pant announces prize money, flight tickets for 11 winners

Neeraj Chopra dominated the men's javelin qualification at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a colossal throw of 89.34 meters. This impressive feat marks the second-best performance of his career, following his record-setting 89.94 meters achieved in Tokyo. As the defending champion readies himself for the high-stakes Olympic finals, he has received a wave of support, notably from Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant.

Pant, currently in Sri Lanka for a white-ball series, took to the microblogging site X to express his enthusiasm and support for Chopra. In a now-viral post, Pant pledged prize money of INR 100089 for the fan who garners the most likes and comments on the post, along with flight tickets for the top ten participants.

"If Neeraj Chopra wins a gold medal tomorrow, I will pay 100089 Rupees to a lucky winner who likes the tweet and comments the most. And for the rest top 10 people trying to get attention, I will give flight tickets. Let’s get support from India and outside the world for my brother," Pant's post read.
One commenter speculated that the prize money amount is 100089 “seems to be Neeraj's 89.34m throw in qualification berth.”

However, the authenticity of Pant’s post has come under scrutiny as many commenters under the post announcing similar prizes.

"Excellent gesture. I will also take ₹7777 to 2 lucky winners who comment under my reply if Neeraj Chopra wins gold tomorrow" – messages like this inundated Pant’s comment section, raising suspicion.