Watch: Arshad Nadeem's emotional breakdown after historic Olympic gold for Pakistan

Arshad Nadeem made history by securing Pakistan's first Olympic gold medal in 32 years, achieving a record-breaking throw of 92.97 metres in the men's javelin final at the Paris Olympics. This remarkable victory marks Pakistan's first-ever individual gold at the Olympics, as the nation had only previously won three gold medals, all in field hockey, with victories in 1960, 1968, and 1984. Nadeem’s success is even more astonishing given his struggles to acquire a new javelin for training.

After clinching the gold, an emotional Nadeem draped himself in the Pakistani flag and embraced his coach. The heartwarming moment was captured on video and quickly went viral on social media.

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Nadeem, who is the 2022 Commonwealth champion and finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as a silver medallist at last year’s Budapest World Championships, emphasised the significance of this win for Pakistan. He stated, "This result is very important for Pakistan because I have worked very hard over the years for this."


Reflecting on his rivalry with Tokyo gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, who won silver in Paris, Nadeem noted that this competition was closely watched by fans in both Pakistan and India. "Like cricket, the javelin rivalry was present! People back home in Pakistan and India were eager to see us compete together," he said, adding that this rivalry is positive and inspiring for the youth in both nations.

Chopra agreed, highlighting that such rivalries are beneficial for promoting athletics, especially javelin, in both countries.

Looking ahead, Nadeem expressed his ambition to throw even further. "I was expecting to go even further, and I am hoping to go even further," he said, after surpassing his previous best by over two metres. He also shared his goal of extending his personal best to over 95 metres in the future.

With inputs from AFP