Fact Check: Arshad Nadeem did not break 118-year-old Olympic record

Incredible Arshad Nadeem made Pakistan proud on Thursday after he clinched a gold medal with his record-shattering throw of 92.97 metres at the Paris Olympics javelin throw final. 

The young athlete brought a gold medal to Pakistan, ending the South Asian country's 40-year Olympic drought. 

All of Pakistan’s previous three gold medals came in field hockey, with their team winning gold in 1960, 1968, and 1984.

Prior to Thursday, only two Pakistan athletes had won individual medals of any colour — with a wrestling bronze in 1960 and a boxing bronze in 1988.

Since the 1992 Barcelona Games, Pakistan has not won a medal of any kind.

But as the nation is in jubilation, some people are claiming on social media that Nadeem broke a 118-year record. Well, that’s not true.

In a post on X, sports journalist Faizan Lakhani wondered how could the javelin thrower have broken such a record.

“The previous record of the best ever throw in the Olympics was with Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen. He created that record in 2008 Beijing Olympics. That's 16 years,” he added.

Lakhani said that the javelin throw wasn't even in the Olympics 118 years ago. It was first included in 1908.

The Olympics, on its website, also mentions: “The javelin throw has been a part of the Olympics since 1908 as a men’s event. The women’s competition was added in 1932.”

If we were to calculate, then the claimed record would have taken place in 1906, the year when javelin throw did not even become a part of the Olympics.

In his post, Lakhani further added: “Records progress one after another, so when you break a record, duration is calculated from the previous record.”

It is also inaccurate to say that it was the longest ever throw in Olympics history. In 1976, the Monteral Olympics, Hungary's Miklos Nemeth got 94.58 metres.

However, javelin specification was changed in 1986 and all prior records were invalidated. So, current records in Javelin stand post 86.

Arshad Nadeem’s records in Olympic final

• First ever individual gold medal in Olympics for Pakistan.
• First ever medal in athletics in Olympics for Pakistan,
• First gold in Olympics in any discipline in the last 40 years for Pakistan.
• Sets new Olympic record for longest throw of 92.97m