Arshad Nadeem made history on Thursday, August 8th, by becoming the first Pakistani athlete to ever win a gold medal in the Olympics. The 27-year-old outperformed Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada to claim the top spot in the men's javelin throw event. Nadeem shattered the Olympic record in his second attempt, reaching a distance of 92.97 meters, securing his victory.
Following Nadeem's historic achievement, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar took to social media to share a photo of Nadeem with a one-word caption that has since gone viral.
The former pace bowler, who holds the world record for bowling the fastest delivery in cricket history, affectionately referred to the champion athlete as "Shehzadaaa."
Nadeem entered the men's javelin throw final as one of the top contenders, but his performance exceeded all expectations. Surpassing the Olympic record, he achieved the remarkable feat of twice surpassing the 90-meter mark, a first in Olympic history.
Neeraj claimed the second spot with a throw of 89.45 meters in his second attempt, while Peters secured the bronze medal.
Following his historic victory in Paris, Nadeem, who also clinched a gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, expressed his joy and determination to continue working hard. He aims to extend his throw to an impressive 95 meters in the future.
“I was expecting and hoping to even go further, but ultimately I am content with 92.97m as it allowed me to win the gold. But I will continue working harder to extend this throw to over 95 meters.”
He also shared insights into his rivalry with Neeraj, expressing satisfaction in seeing him secure second place.
“The rivalry was there; there was no doubt about that. People in each country were eager to see us both throw the javelin and beat each other. I am very happy to see Neeraj win the silver medal.”
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