Watch Arshad Nadeem’s Incredible 92.97m Throw at Paris Olympics 2024, Ending Pakistan’s 40-Year Medal Drought

Neeraj Chopra’s aspirations of securing a second consecutive gold medal to complement his initial one from Tokyo were dashed, and the Indian had to settle for a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics on Thursday evening. Chopra, who entered the final as the frontrunner with a remarkable throw of 89.34 meters in the qualifying round, launched the javelin to 89.45 meters, his second-best performance ever, a significant improvement from the 87.58 that earned him the gold in Tokyo. However, this was insufficient for the defending World Champion and Diamond League final victor as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, his close companion on the circuit, outshined him by establishing an Olympic Record to claim the gold medal.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem shattered the Olympic Record in the men’s javelin throw final with a colossal toss of 92.97 meters to overshadow the Indian gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympics. Nadeem had finished fourth in Tokyo and had faced challenges due to injuries and financial constraints in the intervening period,

But on Thursday, Nadeem delivered a remarkable performance to clinch the gold.

That monumental throw of 92.97 placed Nadeem at the summit of the leaderboard, and he maintained his position with throws of 88,72, 79.40m, and 84.87m before concluding the competition with a throw of 91.79 meters, only the second instance of someone surpassing the 90m mark twice in the Olympics, becoming Pakistan’s inaugural gold medalist in individual events at the Olympics.

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Anderson Peters of Granada secured the bronze medal with a top throw of 88.54 meters.

Chopra initiated the final with a foul on his initial attempt, Nadeem also fouled his first throw, while Trinidad’s Keshorn Walcott took the lead with a throw of 86.16m, and Anderson Peter followed in second place at 84.70.

The Indian standout did not exude confidence in any of his throws except on the second try, which was his sole legal throw of the night,

Chopra still etched his name in the annals of Indian history, becoming the second male Indian and third overall to capture a medal in consecutive Olympics after wrestler Sushil Kumar, who secured a bronze and silver in the 2008 and 2012 Games. PV Sindhu is the other Indian athlete to clinch back-to-back medals – silver in 2016 and Tokyo,

Neeraj’s silver medal marked India’s fifth podium finish in Paris, with one silver and four bronze medals. The Indian has been grappling with injuries over the past few years, and it appears the repercussions are still evident. The javelin throw competition at the Paris Olympics was so intense that Julien Webber of Germany, the silver medalist in Tokyo, had to settle for sixth place.

Despite the lofty expectations, the silver medal felt underwhelming, but Neeraj was powerless on Thursday as Nadeem outshone everyone.

However, Nadeem virtually dominated the competition on his second attempt, unleashing a massive throw of 92.97 meters that left the entire stadium in disbelief. With that throw, Nadeem shattered the previous Olympic Record set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, who threw 90.57 in Beijing 2008. It stands as the sixth-best throw in the all-time rankings.

Chopra maintained the pressure on his friend and rival with a throw of 89.45 in his second attempt and moved into second place. The 26-year-old from Haryana recorded three fouls in the subsequent four attempts, concluding the Paris Olympics with a silver medal.

Nadeem became the first Asian to breach the 90m mark in javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Chopra has yet to surpass the 90m mark. Nadeem secured Pakistan’s first individual gold medal, as the country had previously only won three gold medals in the Olympics — all in hockey.

Only two Pakistanis have secured individual medals — both bronze medals claimed by Muhammad Bashir in Men’s freestyle welterweight wrestling in 1960 and boxer Hussain Shah in Men’s middleweight in 1988 in Seoul.

The men’s hockey team secured Pakistan’s most recent medal at the Olympics, a bronze in Barcelona in 1992. Nadeem is poised to end a 32-year drought for an Olympic medal for Pakistan. The country last won a gold medal in hockey in 1984 in Los Angeles.