Paris Olympics 2024: Arshad Nadeem is the new champion with an Olympic record to boot

When all eyes are on the reigning Olympic champion, it is easy for someone to slip in unnoticed and create a flutter. And that is exactly what Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem did in the wee hours of August 9, in the final of the men’s javelin throw. With the world focusing on Neeraj Chopra and what India’s golden boy would do after topping qualifications on August 6, with just one throw, Nadeem came in literally stole everyone’s thunder, when on his second throw, he sent the javelin flying to a whopping 92.97m, a new Olympic record.

This, of course, put a lot of pressure on Chopra, whose first throw didn’t register. The defending champion has never in his career so far breached the 90m mark. Could he do it today? Chopra’s second throw was legal and clocked 89.45m, a slight improvement over his qualification mark of 89.37m. But getting past Nadeem would need a lot more, which he didn’t get in his next three throws, all of which were fouls. And his last throw was sub 80m. This Olympic final slipped out of his hand.

Nadeem did not take the rest of the competition light, and registered five legal throws in all, including yet another whopper in his last, which also went past the 90m mark at 91.79m

The only man in the competition, with a personal best more than Nadeem’s new Olympic Record was Andersen Peters, but even he could not get close to the 90m mark on this day. Nadeem’s massive throw eclipsed his previous best of 90.18m that he set at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. It broke the Olympic record of 90.57m set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

On his second Olympics, the 27-year-old Nadeem changed the colour and make of his medal for the better as the new Olympic champion, followed by Neeraj Chopra and Andersen Peters on the podium. 2020’s silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch was pushed to 4th place.