‘Sorry Pakistan, I Couldn’t Win’ – Arshad Nadeem Unites Nation With ‘Unreal’ Effort At Olympics

Arshad Nadeem

It was a close call. Arshad Nadeem on Saturday came very close to winning a rare Olympic medal for Pakistan. However, missed out as he finished fifth in the men’s javelin throw event in Tokyo. Nadeem, at one point, was placed as high as fourth before being surpassed by rival athletes.

India’s Neeraj Chopra claimed gold, whereas Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Vitezslav Vesely claimed silver and bronze medals, said Dawn.

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Nadeem threw for 82.91m on his opening attempt of the final round and 81.98m on the second. His final attempt of the round and competition was a foul as he finished fifth. He was just two shy of a podium finish that would have netted him a rare medal.

His main rival, Chopra, saw both his attempts of the final round adjudged as fouls. However, his 87.58m throw in the opening round was good enough to get him the coveted gold medal.

Meanwhile, world number one Johannes Vetter of Germany failed to make it out of the opening round with a disappointing 82.52m in the first attempt followed by two foul throws.

Nadeem finishes 4th in opening round

Pakistan’s Nadeem finished fourth in the opening round with a throw of 84.62 meters on his third attempt. India’s Chopra topped the opening round with a throw of 87.58m.

Nadeem’s first throw landed at a distance of 82.40. It was below his personal best of 86.38m. Meanwhile, his second attempt was a foul.

However, it is common for throwers to take time getting warmed up and work their way up to bigger distances. That is precisely what happened with Nadeem, who threw for 84.62m on his third attempt.

Chopra was the only thrower to clear the 87m mark in the opening round. He did so on each of his first two attempts before throwing for an underwhelming 76.79m on his third attempt. No one else went past 85.44m.

Arshad Nadeem wins our hearts!

For a man from Mian Channu with a personal best of 86.38 meters, was it easy to come this far in the Olympics without any support from the government? Well, certainly, no! Nadeem ranked 23rd in the world and Pakistanis cannot have enough of him for his effort and focus on his own.

Even Indians lauded Nadeem for his humility and great performance.

All eyes were on Nadeem today when the whole nation, PM and even his mother were praying for his win. But it’s just a game. If not today, soon it will be Nadeem’s turn to walk up the podium. Pakistan is still proud of you, Nadeem. You gave us a reason to celebrate today.

In July, Pakistani weightlifter Talha Talib missed out on a rare Olympic medal. Nonetheless, he did turn plenty of heads after his performance caught the attention of Pakistanis. Gujranwala’s 21-year-old lifter competed in the 67-kg category in his Olympic debut.

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