“When I threw the javelin, I got the feel of it leaving my hand and sensed it could be an Olympic record,” said the 27-year-old Arshad Nadeem.
Before Arshad’s remarkable victory, Pakistan had never won an individual gold medal at the Olympics.
Arshad Nadeem’s Records in Olympic Final
- – First ever individual gold medal in Olympics for Pakistan.
- – First ever medal in athletics in Olympics for Pakistan.
- – First gold in Olympics in any discipline in the last 40 years for Pakistan.
- – Sets new Olympic record for longest throw of 92.97m.
Pakistan’s Previous Records:
All of Pakistan’s previous three gold medals came in field hockey, with their team winning gold in 1960, 1968, and 1984.
Prior to Thursday, only two Pakistani athletes had won individual medals of any color — a wrestling bronze in 1960 and a boxing bronze in 1988.
Since the 1992 Barcelona Games, Pakistan has not won a medal of any kind.
However, amidst the national jubilation, some social media users falsely claimed that Nadeem broke a 118-year record. This is not true.
