Arshad's Paris Gold: One for the Ages

Sports require only a moment of brilliance and that is exactly what Arshad Nadeem did last night in Paris as he launched a gigantic 92.97 meters throw in men's javelin final, setting an Olympic record and landing Pakistan its first Olympic gold in last 40 years.

That was not just a throw but a magic victory seal in only second round of the event; so good that Pakistani fans on social media platforms started celebrating long before the contest ended. The throw also ended Pakistan's 32-year-long Olympic medal drought, which last won a bronze in men's hockey at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Above all, it was a throw that blew the energy out of Arshad’s opponents, as both the silver-medalist Neeraj Chopra, and bronze-medalist Anderson Peters looked hapless, failing to touch the 90 meters mark in their next four attempts.

The picture shows the moment when Arshad throw touched the 92.97m mark Screengrab from a video on the official YouTube channel of 'Olympics'

A Rivalry Other Than Cricket

Just when Neeraj thought that his 89.45 meters throw in the second round would have done the job for him, his arch-rival Arshad shattered his spirit by launching the longest throw ever in the Olympics history. The Paris Games silver medalist then fumbled in his pursuit to cross an unbelievable mark touched by Arshad in his next four attempts.

The Pakistani javelin star looked class apart in men's javelin final and his throw of 91.79 meters in the last round was an indication of that. That last throw was also a clear evidence that Arshad had his bases covered and that his success was not just a fluke, as the 27-year-old athlete broke the previous Olympic record not once but twice.

For years, the India-Pakistan rivalry has been confined to just cricket. But the rise of Arshad-Neeraj rivalry in the past few years is a welcoming sign for people across the borders.

Arshad came fifth in the Tokyo Olympics, while Neeraj won the gold. In the World Athletics Championship, Neeraj won the gold while Arshad came second. But in Paris 2024 Arshad was finally able to leap past his long-lasting rival despite Neeraj being considered favorite to defend the Olympic gold.

This fresh rivalry has been nothing but a good display of sportsmanship between the two. From the World Championship to the Paris Olympics, both the athletes have always been congratulating each other.

AFP

Indeed, their rivalry is a new chapter in the Indo-Pak sporting history.