Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem expressed his satisfaction with years of dedication after clinching the Olympic men's javelin title in Paris on Thursday, marking his country's inaugural individual gold at a Summer Games. Nadeem achieved an Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters, while India's Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, secured silver with a throw of 89.45 meters. Grenada's Anderson Peters earned bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
The 27-year-old Nadeem, who previously secured the 2022 Commonwealth title and a silver medal at the Budapest world championships, shared his feelings during the throw: "When I released the javelin, I felt it leave my hand and knew it might set a new Olympic record." He emphasized the significance of his victory for Pakistan, stating, "This result is very important for Pakistan because I have invested years of hard work into this." Nadeem also acknowledged the ongoing rivalry with Chopra, comparing it to the intensity of cricket matches between Pakistan and India.
Nadeem revealed his aspirations to extend his performance even further, saying, "I was aiming for a greater distance and hope to achieve it in the future. I will strive to surpass my personal best of over 95 meters." Prior to Nadeem's historic win, Pakistan had never secured an individual gold medal at the Olympics, with their previous gold medals all coming from field hockey in 1960, 1968, and 1984.
Chopra, on the other hand, was content with his best throw but acknowledged shortcomings in his performance and technique. He cited a groin injury that limited his training throws, admitting, "The last few years have been challenging due to injuries. I need to focus more on recovering from my injury and improving my technique." Despite his setbacks, Chopra congratulated Nadeem on his exceptional performance and the historic achievement for Pakistan.
