Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem aims for historic Olympic medal in men’s javelin final tonight

Pakistan’s star athlete Arshad Nadeem hopes to win the first Olympic medal for this country, as he prepares to compete in the final round of the men’s javelin throw competition in Paris on Thursday night.
Nadeem qualified for the final round of the competition this week with an 86.59-meter throw in the qualifying round. Athletes had to throw the light spear at a minimum distance of 84 meters to make it to the final competition scheduled to be held tonight.
In a video message released on Wednesday, Nadeem urged fans to pray for his success in the final round.
“I have qualified for the final of the Paris Olympics 2024 as a result of your prayers,” he said in the video uploaded on his Instagram account.
“Please keep praying for me, the final is on August 8 at 11:25pm. So please keep praying for me so I perform well and win a medal for Pakistan.”
Nadeem, a nine-time international medalist and four-time gold medalist who came fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is Pakistan’s best shot at a medal in the ongoing competition. The Pakistani star athlete won silver at the World Championships last year and gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 with a massive 90.18-meter distance throw.
The last time Pakistan won a medal at the Olympics was in 1992 in Barcelona when it secured bronze in field hockey.
India’s Neeraj Chopra secured the top spot from Group B in the qualifying round, throwing the javelin a distance of 89.34 meters. He was followed by Grenadian athlete Anderson Peters, who scored a throw of 88.63 meters.
Nadeem, who comes from humble beginnings from Khanewal city in Pakistan, is one of nine children of a daily wage laborer who showed great versatility as an athlete from a young age while dabbling in all kinds of sports at school.
Though the family lacked the financial means to encourage Nadeem’s enthusiasm for sports, his spirit earned him the support he needed, with his elder brothers working to help him build a career in sports, the family told Arab News in an interview in 2021.