PARIS: Arshad Nadeem electrified Stade de France by smashing an Olympic record en route to claiming Pakistan’s inaugural individual sport gold medal in javelin throw, with his second throw spanning 92.97 metres.
The six-foot-three-inch Arshad made the nation proud by launching the javelin to a distance of 92.97 metres, surpassing the Olympic record by over 2.50 metres. His spectacular second throw received a standing ovation from the packed crowd.
After a no-throw at the start of the competition, Arshad made an impressive comeback, making history with a new Olympic record throw that amazed the entire stadium.
Arshad broke Norwegian Thorkildsen Andreas’s 16-year-old record of 90.57 meters, set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Previously, Pakistan had only won gold medals in hockey, the most recent being at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Other individual medals were bronze — Abdul Majeed in wrestling (1964, Tokyo Olympics) and Hussain Shah in boxing (1988, Seoul Olympics).
After finishing fifth at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, Arshad seized the moment three years later in Paris, His final attempt also surpassed 90 metres, but it was his second throw that secured him an Olympic record and a gold medal.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari congratulated Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem on winning the Olympic gold medal, stating that Arshad Nadeem is the pride of the nation.
“Arshad Nadeem, you are the pride of the entire nation,” President Zardari said in his message to Arshad Nadeem upon winning the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics.
President Zardari stated that Arshad Nadeem’s victory was a triumph for the entire nation. “Setting a remarkable Olympic record in the final, the record-breaking javelin throw is a significant achievement. By winning a medal for Pakistan in the Paris Olympics, you have made us proud,” the president said.
He said Arshad Nadeem brought great honor to Pakistan in a prestigious competition like the Olympics. “May Allah bless Arshad Nadeem with even more success in the future,” he added.
