As things panned out on Thursday evening, the javelin thrower from Khanewal in Punjab scripted history by not just finishing on the podium but also winning a gold medal with a new Olympic Record (OR) of 92.97 metres.
Nadeem’s second throw almost sealed the fate of the final in a 12-man field that was arguably the most competitive in a men’s javelin final in the recent editions of the Olympics. Only Nadeem himself came close to breaching the new OR he had set, as his final throw also sailed over the 90-metre mark before falling at a distance of 91.79m.
The defending champion from India, Neeraj Chopra, came the closest but couldn’t breach the 90m line, eventually settling for a silver medal with his season-best throw of 89.45m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters won bronze with his 88.54m throw.
It’s a rarity when a seven-athlete contingent returns with a gold medal for its country. For Pakistan, it’s the first time that an athlete has won a gold medal in an individual event and the first ever medal in track and field.
It’s also Pakistan’s first Olympic medal since 1992 and the first gold since 1984, when the country’s hockey team topped the podium.
Pakistan athletes at Paris Olympics:
1. Arshad Nadeem (Athletics, javelin throw)
2. Ghulam Mustafa Bashir (Shooting, 25m Rapid Fire)
3. Gulfam Joseph (Shooting, 10m Air Pistol and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team)
4. Kishmala Talat (10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol, 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team)
5. Faiqa Riaz (Athletics, 100m, Universality Quota)
6. Mohammad Ahmed Durrani (Swimming, 200m Freestyle, Universality Quota)
7. Jehanara Nabi (Swimming, 200m Freestyle, Universality Quota)
Interestingly, according to a report on Dawn.com, the number of officials in the Pakistan contingent outnumbered the athletes. There are 11 officials part of the 18-member contingent, the report said.
