After 13 days and in the penultimate event of their campaign, India finally won a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 beyond bronze. Neeraj Chopra, the prominent figure in Indian athletics, fell short of defending his Tokyo gold but secured a silver medal, marking India's first medal of the 2024 Games. His best throw, recorded at 89.45 meters during his second and only valid attempt, was a season-best performance. However, it was not enough to surpass Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who won gold with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters.

Although Neeraj Chopra missed out on gold, he boosted India's medal tally at the Paris 2024 Olympics to five, with a potential for another medal on Friday. Following Swapnil Kusale's bronze in the men's 50m rifle 3 position final, India experienced a six-day dry spell without any medals. This streak ended on Thursday with a double victory: Neeraj's silver and the men's hockey team's second consecutive bronze medal in the evening.

Neeraj Chopra, who became only the second individual male athlete from India to win multiple Olympic medals after former wrestler Sushil Kumar, was seen as India’s top medal contender at the Paris Games. However, with strong competitors like Julian Weber, Anderson Peters, and Arshad Nadeem, victory was not guaranteed. The competition started with some surprises, as Neeraj, Arshad, and Weber all fouled their initial attempts. Arshad faced difficulties early on, hesitating during his first run-up and having to restart, which resulted in an unsatisfactory throw. 

However, the robust athlete from Pakistan quickly regained his form, delivering a throw that comfortably exceeded 90 meters and putting immediate pressure on Neeraj. Neeraj managed to register a valid throw on his second attempt, but his momentum was interrupted by another foul on his third try. After three rounds, four of the 12 competitors were eliminated, leaving Neeraj in the midst of strong contenders such as Jakub Vadlejch, Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, and Julian Weber, though he remained in second place.

In the fourth round, the rankings shifted as Peters took the lead with an 88.54-meter throw, moving ahead of Vadlejch. Neeraj, looking to improve his position, attempted to follow but fouled again, resulting in another no-throw. Nadeem's next attempt was more conservative; he stayed within bounds but managed only 79.40 meters. Despite this decrease in distance, Nadeem maintained the lead, with Neeraj holding onto second place and Peters in third.