Arshad Nadeem secured the country’s first individual Olympic gold medal, breaking a 32-year drought since their last gold in field hockey in 1984. Nadeem’s impressive throw of 92.97 meters not only earned him the top spot in the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics but also set a new Games record.
This victory is especially significant considering Pakistan’s previous Olympic successes were limited to team sports, with three golds in field hockey. Arshad’s triumph is particularly remarkable given the challenges he faced, including financial constraints that made it difficult for him to acquire new equipment.
After winning Pakistan’s first gold medal since 1992, Arshad Nadeem was overcome with emotion. Wrapped in the Pakistani flag, he embraced his coach, who congratulated the 27-year-old athlete. A video capturing this touching moment quickly went viral on social media.
Nadeem, the 2022 Commonwealth champion who was fifth at the Tokyo Olympics and a silver medallist at last year’s Budapest world championships, said the result was “very important for Pakistan because I have worked very hard over the years for this“.
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“My training and hard work have paid off. Like cricket, the javelin rivalry was present! People back home in Pakistan and India were eager to see us compete together,” Nadeem said on his rivalry with Tokyo gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, who had to settle for a silver in Paris.
“Rivalry is there when it comes to cricket matches, other sports, the two countries have a rivalry, but it’s a good thing for the young people in both countries to watch our sport and follow us.
“It’s a positive thing for both countries.“
Chopra agreed, saying it was good for both countries, and could act as a spur to attract more people to athletics, and javelin in particular.
Nadeem said he had big ambitions for throwing even further.
“I was expecting to go even further and I am hoping to go even further,” he said after his new Olympic record beat his previous best by more than two metres.
“I will try harder to even extend my personal best to over 95 metres.“
Congralution