Manu continues to cheer for Neeraj and wishes him a speedy recovery

Neeraj Chopra concluded his 2024 season with a close second-place finish at the Brussels Diamond League, missing the top spot by just 1 centimetre. Despite a challenging year, marked by a hand fracture he sustained just before the final, Neeraj expressed gratitude for the experiences gained and the support received. He took to social media to reflect on his season, noting the valuable lessons learned through both triumphs and setbacks. 

In his post, Neeraj shared his injury news, revealing that an X-ray had shown a fracture in his left hand’s fourth metacarpal. Despite the pain, he managed to compete in Brussels, determined to end the season on a high. Neeraj acknowledged the season's difficulties but is focused on returning stronger for 2025, with the goal of surpassing the 90-metre mark.

In response, fellow athlete Manu Bhaker, who competed alongside Neeraj at the Paris Olympics, praised his achievements and wished him a swift recovery.

Rumours

Earlier, rumours of a romantic relationship between athletes Neeraj Chopra and Manu Bhaker were sparked by a video from a post-Olympics event. In the footage, Chopra appeared shy while interacting with Bhaker, and another clip showed Bhaker's mother placing her hand on Chopra’s head, which some interpreted as a gesture seeking a promise. These videos quickly went viral, leading to widespread speculation about a potential relationship or marriage between the two.

In response to the speculation, Manu Bhaker's father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, clarified the situation. He stated that Manu is too young for marriage and that there are no current plans for it. He explained that Manu's mother views Chopra as a son, which was reflected in the video. Meanwhile, social media had remained abuzz with discussions, with many users continuing to speculate about the nature of the relationship and what was discussed between Manu’s mother and Chopra.

HC orders social media handles to take down posts criticising scribe for interview with Manu Bhaker 

In another development, the Delhi High Court earlier this month had directed several social media users to take down their posts criticising journalist Rohan Dua over his interview with Olympian and India's shooting star Manu Bhaker calling it “sexist”.

Justice Navin Chawla ordered the social media handles to delete the posts within a week.

The court said if the handles fail to take down the posts, social media intermediaries should block the content.

The court's interim order came after the journalist's lawyers gave an affidavit stating that Bhaker had liked Dua's interview, proving that she took no offence to the questions he posed to her.

The affidavit followed a direction from the court to the journalist's lawyers to produce details to show that the shooter has no issues with the interview.

The court was informed that the interview was approved by Bhaker's team as well.

Dua interviewed Bhaker after she won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics this year.

A clip of the interview went viral on social media where Dua was seen asking Bhaker about her and her mother's photos with fellow Olympian Neeraj Chopra.

After the interview, several social media handles also posted the video terming the question as “sexist” and the interviewer “unprofessional”.

In his defamation plea, Dua has argued that these statements not only attack his professional competence, but also spread a false narrative that he was being sexist and inappropriate, overshadowing Bhaker's achievements. (With inputs from Agencies)