Arshad Nadeem had the right feel before the javelin final at the Stade de France on Thursday. He was feeling so right for the event that in the excitement, he forgot his run-up. It was red-flagged.

And he returned for his second attempt conscious that he would not repeat the mistake. Nadeem did not and had a massive throw to seal the gold medal for Pakistan. The spear just kept on travelling and landed at 92.97 metres, an Olympic Games record.

“In excitement, I forgot my run-up. So before the second attempt, I had to ensure I got the basics right,” Nadeem said in the crowded mixed zone on Thursday night.

“It’s an Independence Day gift to the people of Pakistan,” the javelin hero, who hails from the Khanewal village in the Punjab region of Pakistan, said. The country celebrates its independence on August 14.

The last time, Pakistan won a medal was in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and boxer Hussain Shah’s middle-weight bronze was the last time the country won an individual medal.

Before Nadeem, Pakistan never won an individual gold medal. They have three gold medals in hockey — in Rome 1960, Mexico City 1968 and Los Angeles 1984.

“I was hopeful of doing well. I had a knee injury and recovered, and worked hard on my fitness. I was even confident of throwing beyond 92.97m, but that throw was enough for me to get the gold.”

From a nation grappling with an economic crisis, only seven athletes came to Paris and Nadeem and coach Salman Fayyaz Butt were the lucky ones to have their air tickets financed by the Pakistan Sports Board. The gold will bring a reason to celebrate,” he said.

With a run-up like a bowler — he had tried his luck in cricket too — Arshad’s life was not a bed of roses.

Growing up in poverty with his construction worker father, mother and seven siblings, Nadeem’s early days with the sport were largely funded by kindhearted villagers, who would pay for his training, travel and kit.

A few months back when he appealed to the authorities to replace his old javelin with a new one for his training, Neeraj Chopra promptly supported Nadeem’s case on social media.

He was still training in the brutal heat of Lahore at a gym without air conditioners. Now that will change for sure as the 27-year-old is being showered with cash prizes.