Nadeem’s victory marked Pakistan’s first gold medal since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where the country won the top prize in hockey. He is also the first track and field athlete from Pakistan to win an Olympic medal. The previous Olympic record of 90.57 meters was held by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, set at the 2008 Beijing Games. Thorkildsen, along with Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic—who holds the world record of 98.48 meters—was present in the stands watching the event.