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Tuesday September 10, 2024

Javelin gold medalist Arshad Nadeem to stand on winning podium tonight

Pakistan's star athlete will be awarded gold medal at ceremony to be held near Eiffel Tower today

By Web Desk
August 09, 2024
Gold medallist Pakistans Arshad Nadeem poses with national flag in front of photographers as he celebrates winning the mens javelin throw final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. — AFP
Gold medallist Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem poses with national flag in front of photographers as he celebrates winning the men's javelin throw final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. — AFP

Arshad Nadeem, the country's Olympic hero, is yet to get his hand on the gold medal hours after he won it in the final of men javelin throw at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis in the ongoing Paris Olympics. 

Nadeem became the first-ever Pakistani athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in the country's history. 

Nadeem will step on the winning podium at 10pm PST today (Friday) to receive the medal at the distribution ceremony to take place in the Champions Park near the Eiffel Tower in the French capital.

Besides Arshad, all athletes who won medals on the 13th day of the world's biggest sports gala will be awarded their medals today.

The 27-year-old national athlete made history yesterday at the mega sporting event by registering a new Olympic record. He broke the record of Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen who set it at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Pakistan's Olympic star set the record with a 92.97m of the throw in the second round, enough for him to win the competition as others remained far behind. He also set a record of 91.79m throw in the same competition.

India's Neeraj won the silver with his season-best throw of 89.45m.

The javelin thrower also brought home the first Olympic gold after 40 long years in any discipline. Pakistan had earlier won gold medals only in hockey, the last being at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The last time Pakistan won any medal in the Olympic games was 32 years ago in 1992 when the national hockey team clinched bronze by defeating the Netherlands 4-3 at the Barcelona Olympics.

In an exclusive conversation with Geo News earlier today, the national athlete had said: "It was my day. I could have thrown it at a greater distance."

He revealed the reason behind his win, saying he was "in the rhythm" and "hopeful" to win the gold medal with how far he had launched the javelin.

Nadeem also expressed his wish to celebrate Independence Day (August 14) with the medal.