Saina Nehwal says she was unaware about javelin until Neeraj Chopra's Tokyo Olympics win, gets slammed

Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal has stirred controversy after revealing that she was unaware of the javelin event in athletics until Neeraj Chopra's gold medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. In a recent interview with journalist Shubhankar Mishra, Nehwal admitted her lack of knowledge about the event, stating that she only learned about it when Chopra’s victory brought it into the spotlight.

"When Neeraj won, that is when I got to know about athletics has got this game too. You'll gain knowledge only when you see it, right? If you don't see, how will you know? I did not know about javelin throw. Frankly, I didn't know," Nehwal said.

Nehwal, who has represented India in badminton at three Olympic Games and secured a bronze medal in London 2012, acknowledged the limited scope for athletes to learn about other sports due to their focus on their own disciplines. “It's not that you don't want to know, but you're so busy in your own field, how much time do you get deep into something else. If not you'll have to Google everything non-stop. If you're perfect in your own field, that's more than enough,” she added.

Her remarks, however, triggered a wave of criticism on social media. Users expressed surprise at Nehwal's admission and shared their thoughts.