Arshad Nadeem created a history, when he throws the javelin of 90.57m, Arshad’s gold is Pakistan’s only gold medal outside of hockey, which they last won 40 years ago at Los Angeles in 1984. It is also Pakistan’s first medal of any color since 1992. Before Arshad’s remarkable victory, Pakistan had never won an individual gold medal at a Summer Games. Prior to Thursday, only two Pakistan athletes had won individual medals of any color —Mohammad Bashir’s wrestling bronze in 1960 and Hussain Shah’s boxing bronze in 1988. A share of the cheers at the Stade de France — the scene of so many of France’s imperious football successes — were expectedly reserved for India’s Neeraj Chopra, the defending Olympic champion and crowd favorite, interspersed by the din for the women’s long jump at the far end of the arena. In the midst of all this, Arshad had already made his first throw, a feeble effort with the spear landing well behind any self-respecting thrower’s attempt. The watching crowd may have even mistaken it for a trial throw as the javelin competition seemed to halt for the track events, which included the women’s heptathlon program. The whole stadium fell silent, at the other end, Arshad looked on in disbelief, his mouth open and eyes wide. Then the penny dropped, and he let out a silent roar. The crowd erupted, as the Pakistani raised his arms in the air in an early, most untimely triumph. His coach, Salman Butt, jumped with joy in the stands. The contest was good as over. The rest of the field, Chopra included, could pack in their javelins and go home. Arshad, in contrast, need not have bothered. He continued to fling the javelin with decrementing effort and returns thereafter — 88.72m, 79.40m, 84.87m — somewhat content in the idea that the rest were only playing catch-up, and that they had a lot of catching up to do. In the end, no one could; in their final throws — the sixth, Neeraj fouled again, while Arshad came up with a monstrous 91.79m.
