Arshad Nadeem clinched gold in the Olympic men’s javelin game, beating the defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India to win Pakistan’s first Olympic athletics medal.
Nadeem rejoiced by lifting up his arms after he broke a new Olympic record with a remarkable throw of 92.97 meters on his second attempt, putting him sixth on the all-time list.
Chopra, the top performer in qualifying, was also the favorite to defend his title; he didn’t have an easy time throughout the competition.
His only accepted throw, measuring 89.45 meters, helped him to win the silver medal, as he fouled on all five of his other attempts.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters clinched the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54 meters, marking a turnaround time for the two-time world champion who was unable to get to the final at the Tokyo Games three years ago. Peters’ throw on his fourth attempt pushed Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, who had won silver in Tokyo, into fourth place.
Nadeem kneeled and kissed the ground after Chopra’s unsuccessful last attempt confirmed his win. He was fifth in Tokyo. Nadeem improved to clinch a silver medal at last year’s World Championships.
The 27-year-old has discussed and listed the difficulties of not being a cricket athlete in Pakistan, noting the unavailability of resources and facilities for his sport.