Arshad Nadeem Makes History with Olympic Gold

Arshad Nadeem entered the javelin throw final at the Stade de France with his arms raised and smiling, but he left with a gold medal and an Olympic record!

In the quiet, inconspicuous style that has been his trademark in the elite men’s javelin, the 27-year-old smashed the field to claim a fantastic, historic gold in the finals here at the Paris Olympics with a gigantic 92.97m off his second throw.

It was an Olympic record, breaking Andreas Thorkildsen’s previous record of 90.57 meters achieved in Beijing in 2008.

In decades, this was undoubtedly the most significant moment for Pakistan’s under-powered representation in Paris, with the country’s once-legendary men’s hockey team absent from the Olympic stage.

Arshad’s gold medal is Pakistan’s only one outside hockey, which they won 40 years earlier in Los Angeles in 1984. This is also Pakistan’s first medal of any color since 1992.

Before Arshad’s historic achievement, Pakistan had never won an individual gold medal at a Summer Games. Before Thursday, only two Pakistani athletes had earned individual medals of any color: Muhammad Bashir’s wrestling bronze in 1960 and Hussain Shah’s boxing bronze.

Arshad’s achievement may make him the country’s greatest Olympian. With the world’s attention on him, he fell to the ground in prostration after winning and draped the Pakistan flag over his wide shoulders to celebrate.

“It’s an amazing feeling… to win Olympic gold,” Arshad Nadeem told reporters afterward. “I am grateful to Allah for blessing me with the fruits of my labor and to everyone back home who prayed for me. “I’ll try to do better next time.”

Since breaking into public awareness in the Olympics in Tokyo, where he finished fifth, Arshad Nadeem has battled ailments but has recovered on each occasion, winning various honors.

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“I would like to say a special word of thanks to Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa, who helped me during surgery and rehabilitation, and to my coach Salman Butt who ensured I came back even stronger and better,” Arshad Nadeem added. He remarked that his gold medal was an “Independence Day gift for the country.”

A portion of the cheers at the Stade de France — the site of so many of France’s imperious football victories — were expectedly earmarked for India’s Neeraj Chopra, the defending Olympic champion and popular favorite, intermingled with the cacophony of the women’s long jump at the far end of the arena.

Then they were sidetracked by the men’s 200m final and the excitement of it.

Amid all this, Arshad Nadeem had already made his first throw, a poor effort that resulted in the spear landing far behind any self-respecting thrower. The spectators may have mistaken the javelin competition for a trial throw because it appeared to come to a halt for the track events, which included the women’s heptathlon program.

“I was feeling so good today that I almost botched my run-up,” Arshad Nadeem confessed.

Chopra, too, appeared to be absorbed by the atmosphere; a tremendous initial throw was destroyed when he brushed the white line with his elbow during his landing scramble. Naturally, all eyes were on the Indian, close opponent Julien Weber of Germany, and Czech Jakub Vadlejch, who set the early pace. Throughout it all, Arshad Nadeem seemed forgotten, content to remain in the shadows.

Trinidad’s Keshorn Walcott led the first round with an 86.16m throw, and Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who eventually won bronze, threw 87.87m on his second attempt.

Then came Arshad’s moment of enchantment and history.

He threw 90.18m to win gold in the Commonwealth Games two years ago and outdid himself on the grandest stage.

As the men’s 200m noise subsided, Arshad Nadeem — the fourth thrower in the lineup — rushed in and tossed the spear quietly and unobserved. Only Botswana’s Leslie Tebogo, the 200m winner, appeared to be reminding the world that something extraordinary was coming as he struck the ceremonial bell only seconds earlier to celebrate his impressive victory. Arshad’s brilliant green spear shot into the now-cooling Stade de France air and darkening skies of Paris, ascending in a most deceiving arc, almost like a jet aircraft on takeoff groaning under the weight of excess baggage.

It ascended and climbed until it remembered it had a duty to complete. So, like a guided missile that had found its target, it changed course and landed after what seemed like an eternity across the 90-meter mark.

The entire stadium fell silent, and Arshad Nadeem, on the opposite end, looked on in disbelief, his mouth open and eyes wide. Then he realized what was going on and let out a quiet roar. The crowd shouted as the Pakistani lifted his arms in an abrupt victory. Salman Butt, his coach, jumped for joy in the stands. The contest was effectively over. The remainder of the field, including Chopra, could pack their javelins and go home.

But there’s also the pride that comes with competing. Arshad’s first volley, fired before the javelin field was even up and running, pushed the remainder into action. Stung, Chopra responded with a similar-looking effort, and an 89.45m throw propelled him into second position, setting the stage for a thrilling duel between the two South Asians. However, the defending champion had a dreadful night, fouling four throws right away. Chopra’s second-place finish of 89.45m was his highest throw of the season till the halfway point.

Arshad Nadeem did not need to bother. He tossed the javelin with decreasing effort and returns — 88.72m, 79.40m, 84.87m — fairly satisfied in the knowledge that the rest were merely playing catch-up, and they still had a long way to go.

In the end, no one could; Neeraj fouled again on their sixth throw, while Arshad Nadeem threw a massive 91.79 meters.