On Thursday, Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan won the Olympic gold medal in the men’s javelin event at the Paris 2024 Games. Nadeem set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters. India’s Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, won the silver medal with a throw of 89.45 meters, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured bronze with 88.54 meters.
Nadeem, who also won the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and earned a silver medal at the Budapest World Championships last year, highlighted the significance of his victory for Pakistan. “My training and hard work have paid off,” he said. “When I threw the javelin, I felt it leaving my hand and sensed it could be an Olympic record.” He also mentioned the importance of the rivalry with Chopra, noting that it provides inspiration for young athletes in both countries.
Chopra, although pleased with his silver medal, expressed dissatisfaction with his overall performance. “I’m not that happy with my performance today, and my technique and runway were not that good,” he said. He attributed some of his struggles to a recent groin injury. “The last two, three years were not so good. I’m always injured. I really tried hard, but I have to do more work on my injury and technique.”
Nadeem’s victory marks the first individual gold medal for Pakistan in Olympic history. Previously, Pakistan’s three gold medals were all in field hockey, won in 1960, 1968, and 1984. Before Thursday, Pakistan had won only two individual medals—a bronze in wrestling in 1960 and a bronze in boxing in 1988. The country had not won any Olympic medals since the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Chopra acknowledged the positive impact of their competition on the sport in both nations. “The rivalry is there, no doubt,” he said. “People back home in Pakistan and India were eager to see us compete together. It’s a positive thing for both countries.”
