PARIS: Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record on Thursday and eventually ended Pakistan’s 32-year wait for success at the Games by clinching the coveted gold medal in the men’s javelin final round in Paris.
Arshad Nadeem was slow off the blocks, registering a no-throw on his first try of the night but shocked everyone on his second attempt, with a monstrous 92.97-throw, which the rest of the field could not even come close for the rest of the contest.
Behind Nadeem on the podium was reigning champion Neeraj Chopra, who also had a foul throw on his first attempt before settling for a silver medal end with an 89.45 m throw on his second try.
Similarly, Grenada’s Anderson Peters claimed bronze, his first ever medal in the Olympic games, with an 88.54 m throw.
Arshad Nadeem’s throw was Pakistan’s first individual gold medal, first track and medal and the second time a South Asian has had a podium end in track and field. It shattered the earlier Olympic record of 90.57 m, set by the Netherlands’ Thorkildsen at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The throw now stands as the 6th longest throw ever, and the best in the world in the current year.
Tonight’s final round ignited Pakistan-India rivalry that Nadeem and Chopra have kept alive over the years. Just last year, they went 1-2 as Chopra collected gold and Nadeem took Pakistan silver at the World Athletics Championships.
Neeraj had a bad night throughout following heading into the final round as the top seed with a 89.34 m. He had five foul throws, with his lone 89.45 m being good enough to collect silver.
