Arshad Nadeem smashes Olympic Javelin Record to Win Gold

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem made Olympic history with a remarkable 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin final to win the gold medal.

In addition to shattering the Olympic record, Nadeem also defeated India’s Neeraj Chopra.

Nadeem achieved this incredible feat on his second attempt, surpassing the former Olympic mark of 90.57m set by Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen.

The Pakistani athlete had a rocky start as he aborted his first attempt due to a flawed run-up and failed to register a valid throw.

But Nadeem demonstrated exceptional focus and precision to deliver the record-breaking throw that left the athletics world in awe.

His second throw proved to be the winning one.

Already a silver medalist at the 2023 World Championships, Nadeem has long been a dominant force in the javelin arena, and his Olympic record solidifies his legacy in the sport.

Arshad Nadeem went into the javelin final against the gold medal favourite Neeraj Chopra.

Chopra had been the defending Olympic champion, however, he struggled to get his rhythm going.

He only managed one valid throw, reaching a distance of 89.45 metres and winning silver.

After being confirmed as the gold medallist, Nadeem still had one throw left and he ended the competition with a monster throw of 91.79m.

As such with these Games, Nadeem went over and rang the bell while the crowd cheered.

Arshad Nadeem was a gold medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which Chopra skipped due to an injury. He also won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games.

In the previous Olympics, Nadeem stood fifth with the highest attempt of 84.62m.

Nadeem was widely seen as Pakistan’s top contender for a medal at the Olympic games, and with his performance in the final, he achieved history for his country.

It marked Pakistan’s first Olympic medal since 1992, and their first-ever individual gold medal in their history.

Of Pakistan’s eight Olympic medals, six have come in men’s hockey and one each in men’s wrestling and boxing.

Although Neeraj Chopra could not retain his Olympic title, his silver was India’s first medal other than bronze at the 2024 Olympics.

While it was Pakistan’s night, it was a fitting competition between two incredible athletes.

Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem once again laid down a marker of how the power centre in world javelin has moved well and truly to South Asia.