Neeraj Chopra won India’s first silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics after he finished second in the men’s javelin throw final with a best throw of 89.45m.
Arshad Nadeem became Pakistan’s first individual Olympic gold medallist after winning the final with an Olympic Record throw of 92.97m.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters took bronze with a best throw of 88.54m. Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch missed out a podium place by just 0.05m as he finished with a best throw of 88.50m.
For the first time in Olympic Games, no European javelin throwers have won a medal.
It was a frustrating night for Chopra, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, as he registered only one legal throw from his six attempts. After Nadeem broke the Olympic Record with his second throw, Chopra responded with his best attempt of 89.45m. However, he was unable to better his mark in any of his remaining attempts.
Having been assured of the Olympic title, Nadeem ended the competition with another 90m+ throw — 91.79m. In all, Nadeem had three of the four best throws of the night in a stunning display of athleticism.
Unless India wins a gold medal in their remaining events, Pakistan are set to finish above India in the medal tally for the first time since Barcelona 1992.