With Olympic record, Arshad Nadeem trumps Neeraj Chopra in India vs Pakistan duel for javelin gold

New Delhi: Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem stole reigning champion Neeraj Chopra’s thunder to win the javelin gold medal at Paris Olympics on Thursday. Nadeem set an Olympic record with a throw of 92.97m to topple Chopra, whose season’s best effort of 89.45m fetched him the silver medal.

Two-time world champion Grenada’s Anderson Peters claimed the bronze medal with 88.54m.

Nadeem became the first man to record two 90+ throws in a single Olympic event while Chopra became the first Indian track-and-field athlete to claim two Olympic medals.

With his silver, Chopra emulated wrestler Sushil Kumar, shuttler PV Sindhu and shooter Manu Bhaker to have two medals in individual medals at Olympics.

It was India’s fifth medal at Paris 2024, after four successive bronze medals (three from shooting, one from men’s hockey).

Nadeem outshines Neeraj

Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Nadeem became the first person from Pakistan to win an individual gold at Summer Olympics.

Like Chopra, Nadeem too began with a foul throw but gathered his wits in his next attempt to throw a humongous 92.97m to set an Olympic record, bettering Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen’s 90.57m at Beijing 2008, and win the competition.

Chopra responded with an encouraging 89.45m in his second throw to turn it into an India vs Pakistan contest. But four successive foul throws ruined Chopra’s chance of overtaking Nadeem and becoming only the fifth man to defend their javelin gold medal.

ARSHAD NADEEM REWRITES OLYMPIC HISTORY WITH 9️⃣2️⃣.9️⃣7️⃣

Catch him in the Javelin final LIVE NOW on #Sports18 and stream for FREE on #JioCinema https://t.co/4IZVAsktjp#OlympicsOnJioCinema #OlympicsOnSports18 #Olympics #JavelinThrow #Athletics pic.twitter.com/5gP5iRHgph

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 8, 2024

Sweden’s Eric Lemming (1908, 1912), Finland’s Jonni Myyra (1920, 1924), Czech Republic’s Jan Zelezny (1992, 1996, 2000) and Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen (2004, 2008) had defended their Olympic gold medals in previous editions.

Nadeem confirmed his supremacy with a huge 91.79m in his last throw to the ovation of the Stade de France crowd, who witnessed a memorable but rare India v Pakistan track and field duel for gold at Olympics.

World Championship 2023 silver medallist Nadeem’s previous personal best was 90.18 metres, which he achieved at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to win gold.

Bronze in hockey

With India grabbing a bronze medal in men’s hockey, star goalkeeper PR Sreejesh got a fitting farewell, having announced earlier that he will be leaving the international stage after 18 years.

A penalty corner brace from captain Harmanpreet Singh enabled India to come from behind and beat Spain 2-1 after they had fallen behind to Marc Miralles’ penalty stroke in the 18th minute.

Neeraj Chopra gives it his all to make a 89.45 throw in the Javelin final at #Paris2024! 🇮🇳🎯

Keep watching the Olympics action LIVE on #Sports18 & stream for FREE on #JioCinema 👈https://t.co/4IZVAsl18X#OlympicsonJioCinema #OlympicsonSports18 #Olympics #Athletics pic.twitter.com/ubFpo64TkH

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 8, 2024

When India won bronze at Tokyo 2020, it was their first hockey medal in 41 years. At Paris 2024, won consecutive hockey medals at Olympics after 52 years.

It was India’s fourth medal at Paris 2024, all of which are bronze. India have won eight Olympic gold medals in men’s hockey, the last of which was in 1980.

In addition to it, they won a silver medal in 1960 and three bronze medals in 1968 and 1972, and in Tokyo 2020. Thursday’s bronze was India’s 13th medal from the sporting discipline.

Wrestler Aman beaten

Young wrestler Aman Sehrawat lost in his 57kg free-style semifinal bout after raising hopes of entering the final. The 21-year-old lost to top-seed Japan’s Rei Higuchi to settle for a place in the bronze medal match.

In women’s wrestling, Anshu Malik went down to USA’s Helen Louise Maroulis 2-7 in the 57kg pre-quarterfinals in a rematch of the 2021 World Championship final in which the Indian was beaten too, leaving her hoping for a place in the repechage round.

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 Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem sets the Olympic record to win the javelin gold medal, pushing defending champ Neeraj Chopra to silver at Paris 2024  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today