Paris, August 8 – Arshad Nadeem has etched his name in history by breaking the Olympic record with a phenomenal 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin final, securing a spot among the sport’s greats. This incredible feat is now recognized as the sixth longest throw of all time.
The competition was fierce, with Grenada’s Anderson Peters claiming the silver medal with an impressive 87.87m throw. Kenya’s Julius Yego narrowly missed out on second place, finishing fourth with a throw of 87.72m.
The final began with a nerve-wracking start for Nadeem, who had a foul throw on his first attempt. He wasn’t alone in this challenge; India’s Neeraj Chopra and Germany’s Julian Weber also registered fouls in their opening attempts. However, Nadeem bounced back spectacularly, delivering a record-breaking performance that left the stadium in awe.
Nadeem’s victory is especially momentous for Pakistan, as it comes exactly 32 years after the nation last won an Olympic medal—when the hockey team clinched a bronze in Barcelona in 1992. Nadeem, now a two-time Olympian, showed his mettle in the qualifier round with a solid 86.59m throw, setting the stage for his historic performance in the final.
The anticipation leading into the final was palpable, with reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra looking to defend his title after a massive 89.34m throw in the qualifiers. Nadeem and Chopra were set to reignite their rivalry after their historic podium finish at the 2023 World Athletics Championship. Despite injuries and surgeries keeping Nadeem off the field over the past year, his extraordinary throw has proven once again that he is capable of delivering when it matters most.
Anderson Peters, who holds the highest personal best (PB) among the finalists with a monstrous 93.07m throw recorded at the Doha Diamond League in 2022, finished behind Nadeem despite a strong showing in the heats with a season-best of 88.63m.
Germany’s Julian Weber, who narrowly missed the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was in top form with an 87.76m throw in the qualifiers, placing him as the third seed going into the final. Meanwhile, current world number 1 Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia, who was eyeing a gold to add to his Tokyo 2020 silver, was seeded third with a qualifying throw of 87.76m.
Kenya’s Julius Yego, the Rio 2016 silver medallist, also demonstrated his medal potential with an 85.97m throw, though it wasn’t enough to secure a podium finish tonight. Yego, who holds the African record with a personal best of 92.72m, is among the elite few who have crossed the 90m barrier.
