Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who made India proud by clinching a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been having some tough times facing media questions. He had an awkward moment recently when art historian and curator Rajeev Sethi asked the athlete about his sex life. The questions not only made the athlete uncomfortable but also did not go down too well with the social media users who slammed Sethi for asking him the question. 

In the video doing the rounds of social media, Rajeev Sethi is heard asking Neeraj, “How do you maintain a balance between your sex life and athletic training?” He goes on to say that he knows it is a “strange question” but is some “serious question” to it as well.

Also Read: Will focus on my game: Neeraj Chopra to Madhur Bhandarkar

Neeraj, visibly uncomfortable, is heard saying, “Sorry, sir,” implying he doesn’t wish to answer. Despite this, Sethi still persists with the question. When the athlete turns it down again, Sethi says, “Forgive me for asking that…,” and before he could explain, the athlete cuts him off to say, “Aapke question se mera maan toh bhar gaya.” 

The video has gone viral on social media with people bashing Sethi for asking a question like this to a “national hero.”

“Media persons need to recognise that Neeraj Chopra is a national icon. They need to treat him with respect irrespective of his age or background. The repeated instances of casual disrespect are a reflection of a deep-rooted class bias,” one person commented.

“An inspiring athlete and army officer who made 1.3 billion Indians feel proud all over the globe

and then comes this absolute creepiness and stupidity by Rajeev Sethi. Instead of giving him time and respect, they are into such nonsense,” another user wrote on Twitter. 

This is not the first time that an interview with the gold medalist has been criticized. Last month, RJ Malishka Mendonsa’s dance during a videocall to interview with Neeraj was deemed inappropriate by social media users.