Neeraj Chopra produced the second-best throw of his career -- 89.45m -- in a bid to retain the men's javelin Olympic gold in the big final in Paris, but it was not enough. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record of 92.97m to walk away with the gold -- the first track and field gold medal for his country at the Games on Thursday, August 7.
Neeraj Chopra added an Olympic silver to his decorated trophy cabinet with the only legal attempt out of six throws. It was not one of his best competition days, yet, he won India its first silver medal at the Paris Olympics. The Tokyo Olympic champion became only the fifth Indian athlete to win multiple medals at the Olympics.
However, his thunder was stolen by Arshad Nadeem, the son of a construction worker, who showcased the power of the indomitable human spirit.
"It was probably the day for a 90m throw. It was needed as well. I haven't thought about it (90m throw) that much. But, it is coming to my mind now. I gave it my all," Neeraj Chopra told India Today's Nikhil Naz from Paris after missing the top step of the podium.
"When Arshad threw 92.97m, I believed in my mind that I would be able to do it (90m) today. It didn't happen today. Let's see when it will happen. But the competition was very intense and exciting. Winning a medal for my country makes me happy," he added.
Grenada's Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, clinched the bronze medal with a best effort of 88.54m while Diamond Trophy winner and Tokyo silver medallist, Jakub Vadlejch, finished fourth.
Neeraj and Arshad ensured India-Pakistan finished 1-2 for the first time on the Olympic podium in men's javelin, a sport that is traditionally dominated by the Europeans. It was also the first time a European did not win a medal in the men's javelin event at the Olympic Games.
It was also the reversal of order from the World Championships last year when Neeraj Chopra won gold and Arshad Nadeem won silver.
Neeraj's Series: X, 89.45, X, X, X, X
Arshad's Series: X, 92.97m, 88.72m, 79.40m, 84.87m, 91.79m
Anderson Series: 84.70m, 87.87m, X, 88.54m, 87.38m, 81.83m
Neeraj was under pressure and it was evident by his fouled attempts after Arshad Nadeem threw 92.97m to smash the Olympic Record which was with Andreas Thorkildsen's record of 90,57m from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Eventually, Arshad Nadeem finished with two throws above 90m as he finished his series, celebrating his medal with another monstrous throw -- a 91.79m effort.
It was a sensational men's final, which had a star-studded field of Olympic medalists. As many as five throwers went past Neeraj's gold-medal mark of 87.58m in Tokyo on an adrenaline-pumping evening at Stade de France.
A FIERCELY-FOUGHT FINAL
Neeraj Chopra was slated to go 8th for his first attempt. He walked into the arena with loud cheers from the Indian fans at the venue. Diamond Trophy winner Vadlejch started the final with an 80.15m throw, well below his personal best of 90.88m, failing to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Arshad Nadeem was nervous ahead of his first attempt. He began his run-up only to abort it and feel the pressure of the countdown timer. Arshad fouled his opening attempt.
Neeraj Chopra was no different. The Indian charged down and only managed to cut the foul line.
London Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott threw 86.16m to lay down an early marker. However, that would only help him finish seventh.
It was then Arshad Nadeem produced the magical throw. With an arm speed of 110km, the best in the field, he hurdled the javelin to an unprecedented distance in Olympic history.
Arshad Nadeem, who was urging the authorities in Pakistan to help replace an 8-year-old javelin that was wearing away gradually in March this year, beat the field that had athletes, who had the best of facilities in training. Arshad, who was funded collectively by his villagers to travel to competitions back in the day, shattered the Olympic record by nearly 3 meters.
Neeraj tried his best to match his Pakistani rival. However, it seems he asked a bit too much from him as he failed to register one valid attempt after his second throw, which eventually won him a Silver.
Rio Olympics silver medalist Yulius Yego finished fifth while Julian Weber, featuring in his third Olympics, finished outside the top 3 again. He finished fourth in Rio and Tokyo.
It was also redemption for Anderson Peters, who was struggling with injury after he was attacked on a boat in his hometown shortly after winning the World Championships gold medal in 2022.
