MIAN CHANNU, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistanis are celebrating the country's first Olympic gold medal in decades after Arshad Nadeem set an Olympic record in javelin to beat defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India on Thursday night.
Nadeem's throw of 92.97 meters easily surpassed the previous mark of 90.57 set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008. It was also well clear of Chopra, the Tokyo champion who reached a season-best 89.45 for silver.
“Bravo Arshad, History made!,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X. “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man."
Nadeem's mother, Razia Parveen, watched with family from their home city of Mian Channu in the eastern Punjab province, clinging to a Quran and praying throughout the event. When Pakistani TV stations all announced Nadeem's victory, family members bowed their heads and then hugged each other. Relatives and friends were still visiting the house Friday with sweets.
“I am grateful to Allah who has blessed my son with such a great honor and I knew it, my heart also knew it, that he will get the gold medial,” Parveen said.
Pakistan's previous gold medal came in men's field hockey at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and it's last medal of any color was a field hockey bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Since then, cricket has eclipsed other sports as Pakistan's national pastime. Cricket will return as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, and Pakistan is expected to be among the favorites.
Nadeem's family plans to receive him at the airport when he returns home over the weekend.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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