Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal in the Olympic men's javelin on Thursday, surpassing defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India and securing Pakistan's first-ever Olympic medal in athletics. Nadeem's extraordinary second throw of 92.97 meters broke the Olympic record and placed him sixth on the all-time list.

"When I threw the javelin, I felt it leaving my hand and sensed it could be an Olympic record, inshallah (God willing)," Nadeem shared. His victory was confirmed after Chopra's final attempt fell short, prompting Nadeem to kneel and kiss the ground in celebration.

Nadeem, who had finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics and claimed silver at the world championships last year, improved significantly to achieve this historic gold. Chopra, the favorite to defend his title after a strong qualifying round, struggled during the final. His best throw of 89.45 meters, which earned him the silver medal, was his only valid attempt, with his other five attempts resulting in fouls. Chopra admitted, "I'm not that happy with my performance today and also my technique and runway was not that good," noting that he has been dealing with a groin injury.

Grenada's Anderson Peters secured the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54 meters, a comeback for the two-time world champion who had failed to reach the final in Tokyo. His performance pushed Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, the silver medalist in Tokyo, into fourth place.

Nadeem, who has often spoken about the challenges of being a non-cricket athlete in Pakistan due to limited resources and facilities, compared his Olympic battle with Chopra to the fierce cricket rivalry between their nations. Nadeem's groundbreaking achievement could potentially elevate the profile of athletics in Pakistan, much like Chopra's Olympic success has done in India. Chopra, with a massive social media following and widespread admiration, has significantly raised the profile of athletics in his country.

Following Chopra's silver medal win, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Neeraj Chopra is excellence personified! Time and again he's shown his brilliance. India is elated that he comes back with yet another Olympic success."

Peters, reflecting on his own achievement, said he felt the support of his Caribbean nation, adding, "The entire population, 120,000 people are glued to their TV right now. Celebrating, cheering."