Record-breaking throw lands javelin gold for Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem broke the Olympic and Asian record to dash Neeraj Chopra’s hopes of winning a second consecutive men’s javelin crown, the Pakistani securing his nation’s first ever Olympic medal in athletics on Thursday night (August 8).
The 27-year-old Commonwealth champion was the only competitor to breach the 90-metre mark during the final in Paris, his second-round throw sailing out to 92.97m and putting him in total control.
Chopra, who has a habit of rising to the occasion and became a national hero in India when he won Olympic gold in Tokyo three years ago, was on the backfoot from that moment on.
He has yet to reach 90 metres in his career and the only legal throw in his series also came in the second round, his 89.45m proving to be enough to secure second spot.
The battle for bronze was closely fought, between two-time world champion Anderson Peters and world silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch.
The Grenadan had been ahead thanks to his third-round 87.87m, before he was soon overhauled by his Czech opponent’s 88.50m. Peters responded immediately with 88.54m.
By the time it came to take his final throw of the evening, Nadeem had already confirmed his win but made extra sure with 91.79m. Speaking of his decisive throw, which broke the record set back in 2008, he said: “I got the feel of it leaving my hand, and sensed it could be an Olympic record, inshallah [God willing]. God indeed made it an Olympic record."
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