Gold eluded defending champion Neeraj Chopra as he signed off with a silver in the Olympics men’s javelin throw event, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem bossed the field with a new Games record of 92.97m here on Thursday.
The 26-year-old Chopra, who has never lost to Nadeem in their earlier 10 meetings, took the silver with his second round throw of 89.45m. He had won gold in Tokyo with a throw of 87.58m three years ago.
The season’s best effort was the Indian’s only legitimate throw of the evening.
Nadeem’s monster effort — sixth longest in history — also came in his second attempt which was like a bolt from the blue that stunned the Stade de France.
The earlier Olympic record stood at 90.57m in the name of Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, set during the 2008 Beijing Games.
Nadeem also signed off in style with a closing throw of 91.79m.
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