PARIS: Arshad Nadeem secured Pakistan’s first gold medal of the Paris Games on Thursday, setting a new Olympic record to win the men’s javelin final.
Nadeem registered a best throw of 92.97 meters, beating the previous Games record of 90.57 set by Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen at Beijing 2008.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, took silver with 89.45 and Grenada’s Anderson Peters bronze with 88.54.
“I am thankful to the nation. Everyone [supported] for me, and I was hopeful of doing well,” Nadeem said. “Over the years, I got a knee injury and recovered, and worked hard on my fitness. I was even confident of throwing beyond 92.97m, but that throw was enough for me to get the gold.”
Chopra had been the favorite to win the event, having won gold at last year’s world championships to go with his Tokyo 2020 triumph.
But Nadeem rose to another level in the final with two throws that exceeded 90m.
The 27-year-old vowed not to become complacent after his Olympic gold medal, predicting more world records in the future.
“I will continue to work hard and give my best in the days and months to come,” he said. “I am planning to throw beyond this mark as well.”
