By Helen Reid
PARIS (Reuters) -Arshad Nadeem won gold in the Olympic men’s javelin on Thursday, beating defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India to clinch Pakistan’s first Olympic medal in athletics.
Nadeem threw his arms up in celebration after breaking the Olympic record on his second throw with a stunning 92.97 metres that put him sixth on the all-time list.
Chopra, the strongest by far in qualifying and favourite to retain his title, struggled. His throw of 89.45, which won him the silver medal, was his only valid effort as he fouled on his five other attempts.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters took bronze with 88.54, a moment of redemption for the twice world champion who failed to make the final at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Peters hurled the javelin 88.54m on his fourth attempt to knock Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who won silver in Tokyo, into fourth place.
Nadeem knelt down and kissed the ground after Chopra’s failed last attempt sealed his victory. The Pakistani finished fifth in Tokyo, but improved to take silver at last year’s world championships.
The 27-year-old has highlighted the challenges of being a non-cricket athlete in Pakistan, saying resources and facilities for his sport were scarce.
But if Chopra’s huge following in India since winning Olympic gold is anything to go by, Nadeem’s performance on Thursday could change that.
Chopra, who has more than nine million Instagram followers, has had a huge impact in raising the profile of athletics in India, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said on Thursday.
(Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Ken Ferris, Christian Radnedge and Ed Osmond)
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