In his record-setting throw, Nadeem also achieves a distance of 91.79 meters on his final attempt
PARIS: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 9th, 2024) Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem on Thursday night made history by setting a new Olympic record in javelin with an impressive throw of 92.97 meters and secured the gold medal.
At the Paris Olympics 2024 This marks the first time an individual from Pakistan has won an Olympic gold medal.
Nadeem's throw surpassed the previous Olympic record of 90.57 meters, established by Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen at the 2008 Beijing Games. In addition to his record-setting throw, Nadeem also achieved a distance of 91.79 meters on his final attempt.
India's Neeraj Chopra earned the silver medal with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters, while Grenada's Anderson Peters claimed bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Earlier in the competition, Nadeem struggled with his first throw, as did Germany's Julian Weber. Finland's Lassi made a throw of 78.81 meters, and Oliver Helander achieved 80.92 meters on his initial attempts. The Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch reached 84.52 meters on his second throw.
Nadeem's second throw of 92.97 meters set a new Olympic standard, while his third, fourth, and fifth throws recorded 88.72 meters, 79.40 meters, and 84.87 meters respectively. His final throw of 91.79 meters cemented his victory.
This gold medal marks Pakistan's first individual Olympic gold in 40 years. The last time Pakistan stood on the Olympic podium was on August 8, 1992, when the national hockey team won bronze at the Barcelona Olympics.
Nadeem, who had previously won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2018 Asian Games, was also fifth in the javelin event at the Tokyo Olympics with a best throw of 84.62 meters. His historic win has been seen as a significant achievement for Pakistan, which had not won an individual Olympic gold before.
Prior to Nadeem’s victory, Pakistan had only won gold medals in field hockey, with wins in 1960, 1968, and 1984. Other individual Olympic medals for Pakistan were a wrestling bronze in 1960 and a boxing bronze in 1988. Since the 1992 Barcelona Games, Pakistan had not secured any Olympic medals.
Reflecting on his success, Nadeem said, “When I threw the javelin, I felt it leaving my hand and knew it could be an Olympic record,”.
He expressed his satisfaction with his performance and dedication, saying, “My training and hard work have paid off”.
Regarding his rivalry with Chopra, Nadeem acknowledged the competitive spirit but emphasized the positive impact of their rivalry on athletics. Chopra, while pleased with his silver, noted issues with his technique and condition, including a recent groin injury. He praised Nadeem's performance and expressed hopes for future improvements in his own technique and health.
