Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history on Thursday night at the Stade de France
by winning the men's javelin final and becoming the country's first track and
field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He may have started this
competition as the underdog and may have had less name recognition than his
Indian rival Neeraj Chopra. And he accomplished it with style, smashing an
Olympic record while defeating his old buddy and adversary Chopra.
When the record showed up on the board, indicating that it was the farthest throw in the world this year, Nadeem flung his arms up in celebration and almost disbelief.
With his gold, the javelin thrower made history as his nation's first medalist since it took home a bronze in men's hockey in Barcelona in 1992. He broke the record with his throw, making history as the fourth competitor to reach the 90-meter mark in the men's javelin at the Olympics.
The
27-year-old already has the distinction of being the first Pakistani to qualify
for the final of any track and field event in Olympic history. He placed fifth
in Tokyo with a throw of 84.62 meters and won silver at the world championships
in 2023.
He was formerly a talented cricket player who gave up the game to focus on
throwing the javelin, calling it "the best thing that happened to
me."
Before the Olympics, he declared, "I wouldn't be in the Olympics
otherwise." "I'm appreciative of my innate athletic ability, but
there are obstacles for non-cricket athletes in Pakistan, such as a lack of
facilities and resources."
Nadeem has already discussed his challenging path to the Olympics, claiming he had reached the pinnacle of his sport without having access to cutting-edge fields or training centers. Using his platform, he has also demanded increased financing for Pakistani track and field competitors, stating that "you have to provide world-class facilities to develop athletes in this day and age as the competition is getting tougher and tougher." You cannot create another Arshad if you do not provide them with those resources.
Chopra, the current Olympic champion, was the center of attention before to the competition. However, neither the Indian javelin superpower's ambition of breaching the 90-meter mark nor his aspiration of taking home a second Olympic gold medal were realized.
Donning
a vivid blue bandana, Chopra exuberantly entered the stadium with the intention
of igniting a frenzy of national pride. However, the 26-year-old appeared
subpar and managed to make only one out of his six attempts, setting a season
high of 89.45 on his second try. Anderson Peters of Grenada made all but one of
his throws, taking home the bronze with a best throw of 88.54.
Now that Chopra has won the nation's first-ever Olympic gold medal in athletics
in Tokyo, his Pakistani counterpart can anticipate a small taste of the
euphoria that engulfed India, catapulting him into social media stardom and
igniting discussions regarding the marital status of this most eligible of
bachelors.
Over
their careers, the two have become close friends despite the occasionally
venomous national rivalry between the Indian and Pakistani sports teams.
During the qualifying round, Nadeem achieved a direct qualification mark of 84
meters with a throw of 86.59 meters on his first try. However, Chopra went one
step further and made a huge 89.34-meter throw on his maiden try. "It
brings me great happiness that my brother Neeraj bhai and I are the only South
Asians performing on a global platform," Nadeem remarked. "I hope
that we keep up our good work for our respective nations and elevate their
profiles internationally."
The
praise for the new Olympian champion started to pour in shortly after his
victory, with Malala Yousafzai, the leader of the education rights movement,
spearheading the effort. "Happy anniversary, Arshad Nadeem!" she said
on the social networking network X. "You created history and will always
be a symbol of strength and inspiration for young Pakistanis, encouraging them
to pursue their aspirations."
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