New Delhi: Brett Lee has responded to encouraging words from India’s two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, who said the former Australian cricketer could be a good javelin thrower.
In a freewheeling interview with JioStar, the official broadcaster of the most significant events of his season – the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, the Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist said Brett Lee could be a good javelin thrower. Chopra won a silver medal in the javelin throw event in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years,” said Chopra, who won back-to-back titles in the Paris Diamond League event and Ostrava Golden Spike meet.
In his response to the interview, Brett Lee said he did throw the javelin during his schooling days, but was nowhere near as good as Neeraj. “I did throw the javelin back in my schooling days, but nowhere near what Neeraj does & continues to do,” wrote the former Australian pacer in his post on X, formerly Twitter.
He also explained why he did not continue with javelin despite indulging in it in his school days, and said the sport is very tough on the elbow.
Brett Lee also expressed his admiration for Neeraj Chopra, who is one of the most popular and famous athletes on the international circuit.
“Very tough on the elbow. I have, however, admired what this fine athlete can do and wish him well,” said Brett Lee.
He also expressed his interest in trying javelin alongside India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. “I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too, and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah.”
After his win in Paris, Neeraj was asked by a media outlet whether he had ever tried cricket, especially bowling. Neeraj said he would also like to try his hand at baseball pitching at some point.
(IANS)
