Athlete Arshad Nadeem secured Pakistan's first individual gold medal at a Summer Games by winning the Olympic men's javelin title in Paris on Thursday.
Nadeem broke an Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters, while India's Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, took silver with a distance of 89.45 meters. Anderson Peters of Grenada claimed the bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
"After throwing the javelin, I had a sense that it could be an Olympic record," said the 27-year-old Nadeem. "This victory is very important for Pakistan because I have dedicated many years of hard work to this achievement. My training and efforts have finally paid off."
Nadeem expressed his acknowledgment of the rivalry with Chopra, comparing it to the historic cricket rivalry between their home countries. Both athletes acknowledged the positive impact of their rivalry on the sport and their nations.
Nadeem, who was fifth at the Tokyo Olympics and a silver medalist at the Budapest World Championships, expressed his ambition to surpass his new Olympic record and extend his personal best to over 95 meters.
Before Nadeem's victory, Pakistan had only won gold in field hockey at the Olympics. The last individual medals for Pakistan were a wrestling bronze in 1960 and a boxing bronze in 1988.
Chopra, while satisfied with his best throw, admitted that his overall performance was not up to his expectations. He attributed this to a groin injury that had limited his training in the past few years.
Both athletes expressed their admiration for each other and showed a strong spirit of sportsmanship and determination to continue improving in their respective careers.
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