Javelin star Arshad Nadeem ends Pakistan’s 40-year wait for Olympic gold

By Anushe Engineer, Dawn, Aug 9: Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record on Thursday and ended Pakistan’s 32-year wait for success at the Games by clinching the coveted gold medal in the men’s javelin final in Paris.

Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record on Thursday and ended Pakistan’s 32-year wait for success at the Games by clinching the coveted gold medal in the men’s javelin final in Paris.

The Mian Channu-born was slow off the blocks, registering a no-throw on his first attempt of the night but shocked everyone on his second attempt, with a monstrous 92.97-m throw, which the rest of the field could not even come close for the rest of the competition.

Behind Nadeem on the podium was rival and reigning champion Neeraj Chopra, who also had a foul throw on his first attempt before eventually settling for a silver medal finish with an 89.45m throw on his second attempt.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters took home bronze, his first ever Olympic medal, with an 88.54m throw.

Nadeem’s throw was Pakistan’s first individual gold medal, first track and field medal and the second time a South Asian has had a podium finish in track and field.

It also shattered the previous Olympic record of 90.57m, set by the Netherlands’ Andreas Thorkildsen at the Beijing 2008 Olympics

The throw now stands as the sixth longest throw ever, and the best in the world this year.

Tonight’s final ignited Pakistan-India rivalry that Nadeem and Chopra have kept alive over the years. Just last year, the duo went 1-2 as Chopra bagged gold and Nadeem took home silver at the World Athletics Championships.

Chopra had a shaky night throughout after heading into the final as the top seed with a 89.34m. The reigning world champion and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist had five foul throws, with his lone 89.45m being good enough to bag silver.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nadeem on his win. “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man,” he wrote on social media platform X.