"I've already silenced many people who said I couldn't win"

"Watch out for Nader, watch out for Nader, watch out for Nader." On RTP 2 and Eurosport 1, the two channels with Portuguese television rights to the Tokyo World Cup, the commentary's tone changed every ten meters from the moment the final stretch began. There, Isaac Nader was still in fifth place. A few meters earlier, he was in seventh (and running on the inside, close to the rope). Did that mean anything? No. More than ever, the athlete from the Algarve was confident in himself, in his final sprint, and in his ability to surprise those who didn't see him as a potential medalist. He didn't win bronze or silver, but he did win gold.

There was plenty of emotion, plenty of tears, plenty of hugs for his girlfriend Salomé Afonso, who had finished 12th the day before in the 1,500-meter final, plenty of congratulations to the entire national delegation celebrating Portugal's eighth world title since Rosa Mota opened the door in the 1987 marathon in Rome. Isaac Nader had just stunned the competition to earn a place in national athletics history with his bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. However, after all the formalities and with the medal around his neck (although there was only an official ceremony with the Portuguese anthem this Thursday), it was clear that the athlete had managed to "avenge" the medal he failed to win at the last European Championships in Rome.

"In the last 100 meters, I think I was in seventh place. I thought I'd give it my all until the end because I could still be world champion and because no one had to pass me. This time, the finish line had to be the focus; I couldn't look back. No one can criticize Isaac today for looking back. It was all the way to the last meter. I don't even know how much [time] I won by; what matters is that I won. In the end, there were 200 meters to go, I had energy, I didn't know how much I had left in the tank... Sometimes people don't understand why I look back. When I can't pass anyone, I at least look back to secure my place. It happened at the last Short Track World Championships. It's not out of insecurity; it was a habit I gained. Good or bad... it is what it is. In the last 40 meters, I really believed and thought I had so much energy that I surprised myself," he told Lusa news agency.

"I still don't quite believe what I ended up doing. I'm a little tired but very happy. It's taken me a long time to say that I really believed in this, that it was my dream, to win a medal. Today, I'm world champion. There's only one greater title, which is being an Olympic champion. I've already silenced many people who said Nader couldn't win. But those people don't matter; what matters is me, my family, Salomé [Afonso], and my coach. It's not always easy. I'm increasingly approaching races as just a race, with less nerves, less of that intensity in the race, and that comes with experience, with failures. We gained, with those less favorable results, by learning to be calm and patient in the process," he noted.

"I had 200 meters to go, I had energy, but I didn't know how much I had left in the tank. There was a brief period when the athlete behind me, on the sidelines, asked me not to complicate things for him and close me down for the last 100 meters. I had space to accelerate with everything I had. Today, I became world champion and made history. Dreams fuel everything, and you have to realistically take one day at a time," he concluded in the briefing area of ​​the Tokyo National Stadium, which had made history for Portuguese athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Games when Pichardo and Patrícia Mamona won gold and silver in the triple jump.

Isaac Nader's coach, Pascual Oliva, who previously coached Spaniard Fermín Cacho (who was Olympic champion in 1992 and runner-up in 1996, along with two World Championship medals and a European title, both in the 1,500m men's track and field, but in the 1990s), also expressed his satisfaction with a title that was missing from the Portuguese athlete's career… and his own as a coach. "At the 2024 European Championships in Rome, he should have won a medal. They took that opportunity away from him, and he didn't win. After a 40-year coaching career, this is the icing on the cake. I like to help those who want to be helped; I do, and I dedicate myself to it. I'm retired, and I think this year is already done, with Isaac Nader and Salomé's medals," he commented.

"We didn't arrive at the Paris Olympics in good shape because there wasn't enough time after Rome. There were other competitions, club competitions, and so on, and that prevented us from doing the work we needed to do. It was an ambition and an opportunity, but if we arrive poorly, we're not in the right shape, it doesn't happen. His running style sometimes involves a lot of changes of pace, a lot of starts, because he always wants to be in the right place, and so he expends a lot of energy, and by expending that energy, he ends up paying the price. That's what happened there, but also the evolution of an athlete, who has to mature. You can't go from 3:37 to 3:30 minutes and reach the medals; you have to get used to doing that in competition, know how to endure the suffering, so it rarely happens the first time," Pascual Oliva explained to Lusa news agency.

Finally, Domingos Castro, who is leading the first delegation to the World Championships and was one of two Portuguese athletes to win medals in the first national podium finish in 1987, expressed pride in something Isaac Nader had long pursued. "Isaac deserved this medal, more than anyone. For his dedication, because he's done extraordinary things. He deserved this medal. This will help a lot. May everyone keep their eyes on this medal because we have the chance to win more. It will help us a lot, and I once again appeal to the government to take a look at our sport. We have strength, youth, and a fantastic generation, but we need support. I hope this medal will awaken everyone and encourage that support. Isaac is one of the best in the world and is therefore a medal candidate," he emphasized.

"It is with great pride that the President of the Republic congratulates Isaac Nader on winning the gold medal in the 1,500 meters at the World Athletics Championships, currently taking place in Tokyo, Japan. In a thrilling race, the Portuguese athlete demonstrated all his quality and determination, with a race finish only achievable by great athletes. Isaac Nader thus brilliantly joins the ranks of other compatriots who have reached the highest step on the world podium and made their mark on the history of athletics and national sport. On behalf of Portugal and the Portuguese people, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa thanks the athlete, his coaching team, and the Portuguese Athletics Federation for all their hard work and dedication, which allows us to see the National Flag raised in Tokyo to the sound of 'A Portuguesa,'" wrote Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic, in an official statement.

"Fantastic Isaac Nader, an incredible display of will to win and fight until the end! Another world champion, in this case in the 1,500 meters, with a remarkable performance at the World Athletics Championships in Japan. Congratulations!" wrote Luís Montenegro, Prime Minister of Portugal. "Isaac Nader is a gold medalist! The athlete is the world champion in the men's 1,500 meters at the World Championships in Tokyo. Congratulations, Isaac! A fantastic result that honors national sport. Thank you very much!" Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, also commented on the X network.