Arshad Nadeem made history at the Stade de France in Paris on Thursday by setting a new Olympic record in men’s javelin throw, securing the gold medal. His remarkable throw of 92.97 meters not only earned him the top spot but also set a new Olympic benchmark, surpassing India’s Neeraj Chopra, who finished second with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters.
The final was an intense competition among the world’s 12 best javelin throwers. Despite Neeraj Chopra being the defending champion, he graciously acknowledged Nadeem’s achievement, stating, “it was Nadeem’s day,” and extended his congratulations to the new Olympic champion. This victory was particularly significant for Pakistan, as it marked their first Olympic medal since 1992 when their hockey team won bronze. Moreover, it is Pakistan’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal and their only medal in track and field.
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Anderson Peters from Grenada claimed the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar expressed his joy through a video message on social media, praising Nadeem’s achievement. He said, “Out of nowhere, this son of a lion has won Pakistan a gold medal. What a player, Arshad! You have achieved this on your own, with your own hard work and caliber. Many congratulations to you, to Pakistan. The mood of the entire country has changed with one gold medal…One guy is trending across the whole world, that is Arshad Nadeem.”
So proud of you @ArshadOlympian1 . Jo khushiyaan aap nay hamari udaas qom ko di hain, is ka koi comparison nahi hai. pic.twitter.com/iiCnaOsCPO
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) August 8, 2024
The Pakistan Cricket Board also shared a video on Instagram showing the country’s cricketers, including Umar Gul and Sarfaraz Ahmad, celebrating as they watched Arshad’s second throw, which crossed the 90-meter mark.
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Shoaib Akhtar also shared a backstory about Nadeem’s recovery from injury, mentioning someone named ‘Rizwan’ who played a crucial role in facilitating Nadeem’s treatment, both in Pakistan and England. Although it is unclear if this Rizwan is the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan, Akhtar emphasized the importance of this support in Nadeem’s journey to gold. He added, “Arshad Nadeem’s success has a story behind it, which is about Rizwan and the National Hospital…Rizwan got Arshad treated, not only in Pakistan but also sent him to England, got surgeries done. And today finally Arshad won the gold medal…So so proud of you Arshad….This is not one gold. Pakistan sent seven athletes to the Paris Olympics and out of nowhere, one out of the seven has won a gold medal…You have done something that no one expected. You thrashed the Olympic record and threw 90m-plus throws multiple times.”
Interestingly, this competition echoed the results from the Budapest World Championships, where both Neeraj and Arshad stood on the podium—Neeraj with the gold and Arshad with the silver. However, in Paris, their positions were reversed.
