Nadeem takes gold with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m, ending Pakistan's 32-year medal drought at the Games.
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem made history by claiming his country's first ever Olympic athletics medal when he claimed gold in the men's javelin final in Paris.
The 27-year-old dethroned defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India and broke the Olympic record at the Stade de France on Thursday.
Nadeem raised his arms in celebration after breaking the Olympic record with his second throw, which landed at an impressive 92.97 metres – the best in the world this year.
Chopra, who was comfortably leading the standings and was the favourite to win, did not look to be in top form. His best of 89.45 metres was also his only valid attempt, as he committed fouls in his other five attempts.
Grenada's Anderson Peters won bronze with 88.54m, a redemptive moment for the two-time world champion after failing to reach the final at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
However, the night belonged to the humble man from Mian Channu, a small town in the eastern province of Punjab, who came back from a knee injury earlier this year and made history for his country despite the cricket-mad nation's dilapidated sporting facilities.
Of Pakistan's eight previous Olympic medals, six were in men's hockey and one each in men's wrestling and boxing.
Nadeem's achievement also marked Pakistan's first medal in eight Olympic Games, the last medal being in 1992 when the men's hockey team won bronze in Barcelona, Spain.
The men's javelin throw final was GREAT 🔥
🥇 92.97 m O Arshad Nadeem 🇵🇰
🥈 89.45 m @Neeraj_chopra1 🇮🇳
🥉 88.54 million Anderson Peters 🇬🇩 #Paris2024 #Olympic Games photo.twitter.com/jPrVZZ6txl— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 8, 2024
Pakistan is “very proud” of Nadeem
Two months before the Olympics, Al Jazeera's Abid Hussain spent a day with Arshad Nadeem as he prepared for the Games.
In June, Nadeem told us he was feeling “strong and fit” for the world event, adding that he was “quite hopeful of doing well in Paris.”
The world record in the throw is still held by Czech Jan Zelezny, who achieved a remarkable 98.48, but the new Olympic record, together with the end of a long wait for his country, provoked reactions from all of Nadeem's compatriots.
Pakistan men's cricketer Fakhar Zaman said the country was “beaming with pride” in a post on X-rated, while Nadeem's mentor and former coach Rasheed Ahmad Saqi was overcome with emotions after his protégé won the gold medal.
“This is a miracle from God and a gift to the entire nation on our Independence Day next week. I am very proud of Arshad,” he told Al Jazeera moments after the gold medal was confirmed.
Saqi says he was confident Nadeem would win a medal and had predicted it would be gold.
“He was certain that he would break some record. He was sure that he would break his own record or the Olympic record and that is what he did.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also congratulated Arshad Nadeem for making history for the country.
She posted on X: “You have made the entire nation proud.”
