Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history on Wednesday by qualifying for the final of the Tokyo Olympics javelin throw competition.
Arshad Nadeem is the first Pakistani athlete to qualify in an Olympic final in any track and field event.
He was assigned to Group B for the competition, which required him to throw a minimum of 83.5 meters in order to advance to the final. Only six competitors were able to do so, with Arshad being one of them. The other six athletes advanced to the finals based on their respective longest throws.
Read more: Six out of ten Pakistani athletes eliminated from Tokyo Olympics
The 24-year-old Pakistani athlete failed to achieve the 78.5m barrier on his first effort, but on his second attempt, Arshad made history by throwing 85.16m, which also placed him first in group B.
After India’s Neeraj Chopra (86.65m) and Germany’s Johannes Vetter, this was the third greatest throw in the competition (85.64m).
Arshad’s throw is also his third-best in a competition.
Arshad Nadeem keeps Pakistan’s medal hope alive at Tokyo Olympics
Arshad Nadeem set a personal best and a national record with an 86.39m javelin throw at the Imam Reza championships in Iran earlier this year. He threw 86.29 meters at the South Asian Games in Nepal earlier this year.
The 24-year-old Pakistani athlete failed to achieve the 78.5m barrier on his first effort, but on his second attempt, Arshad made history by throwing 85.16m, which also placed him first in group B.
After India’s Neeraj Chopra (86.65m) and Germany’s Johannes Vetter, this was the third greatest throw in the competition (85.64m).
Arshad’s throw is also his third-best in a competition.
Arshad set a personal best and a national record with an 86.39m javelin throw at the Imam Reza championships in Iran earlier this year. He threw 86.29 meters at the South Asian Games in Nepal earlier this year.
Julius Yego (PB 92.72m), Chao-Tsun Cheng (PB 91.36m), Keshorn Walcott (PB 90.16m), Marcin Krukowski (PB 89.55m), Bernhard Seifert (PB 89.06m), and Anderson Peters are among those who have qualified (PB 87.31m).
Prior to the Olympics, Arshad, who had aspired to be a cricketer, stated that he would be aiming for a 90m throw.
Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway holds the World Record for the Olympics in Javelin Throw with a throw of 90.57 meters.
