Pakistan celebrates its first Olympic medal in decades as javelin hero breaks Games record

Pakistan partied late into the night after javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem won the country’s first ever Olympic track and field medal with a Games record throw of 92.97 meters to take gold in Paris.

The normally cricket-mad nation stayed up late Thursday night to watch Nadeem clinch Pakistan’s first Olympic medal since the men’s field hockey team won bronze in Barcelona 32 years ago.

“Our brother has won the gold medal and I’ve lost my voice because I’ve been celebrating all night,” his brother Shahid Nadeem told CNN on Friday from the family’s home in Mian Channu, in Pakistan’s Punjab state.

“When he gets home we will celebrate him in such a way that the world will never forget! We are simple people and will celebrate with kheer (local rice pudding) and whatever Allah gives us, we are happy!” he said.

People danced to drums on the streets outside Nadeem’s home, and his mother told local outlet Geo News: “I am so happy, what can I tell you? I want to hug him and kiss him. He has made Pakistan’s name proud, earned Pakistan a medal and made its flag fly proudly.”

Nadeem shattered the Olympic record of 90.57 meters, set by Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen at Beijing 2008, with his second throw that almost made 93 meters.

Nadeem threw his arms into the air in celebration as the board confirmed the record-breaking throw, eliciting gasps of amazement from spectators.

“When I threw the javelin, I got the feel of it leaving my hand, and sensed it could be an Olympic record, inshallah (God willing),” Nadeem said later.

In winning gold, Arshad defeated India’s sporting hero and reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra, who took silver with a throw of 89.45, ahead of Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who threw 88.54 meters for bronze.

The friendship between the top two medalists, Nadeem and Chopra, has defied the historic animosity between Pakistan and Indian sporting teams, and when the results were confirmed the two embraced each other, their flags wrapped around their shoulders.

Triumph for the nation

Pakistan is now waiting for the moment that Nadeem stands atop the podium to receive his gold medal — the country’s first Olympic gold since its men’s field hockey team won in Los Angeles in 1984.

Pakistan sports journalist Altamish Jiwa told CNN that Nadeem’s gold was a “humungous victory for all of Pakistan” and one that had buoyed the nation’s spirits.

“Nadeem has delivered the perfect gift which the nation has been waiting for quite some time, the feeling of triumph and collective joy which the country has been deprived of for many years, not just on the sporting front, but simply in everyday walk of life,” Jiwa said.

Nadeem finished fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with a throw of 84.62 meters, then won silver in the 2023 world championships, and became the first athlete from Pakistan to reach the final of any track and field event at the Olympic Games.

He has previously spoken about his difficulties in competing on the world stage as he had no state-of-the-art grounds or training facilities in a country not known for its track and field athletes.

Nadeem once aspired to be a cricketer before picking up javelin in 2015, describing the decision as “the best thing that happened” to him.

“I wouldn’t be in the Olympics otherwise,” he said.

Cricket holds an unofficial but prominent position as the national sport of Pakistan, resulting in increased funding and support.

Nadeem’s win has shifted some focus from cricket to athletics in Pakistan and has sparked discussion on social media over the lack of resources for athletes competing internationally.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nadeem on his achievement, commenting on X, “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man.”

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