Arshad Nadeem, javelin gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games©AFP
Arshad Nadeem created history by becoming the first Pakistani athlete to win an individual Olympic gold medal after achieving the highest honor in the men’s javelin throw event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Arshad surprised everyone by achieving a mammoth throw of 92 .97m to break the Olympic record and finished ahead of Neeraj Chopra, whose season’s best throw of 89.45m earned him a share. Although Arshad established himself as a star in athletics, he wanted to be a cricketer growing up. However, he had to give up on his dream and his brother Shahid explained the reason for his decision.
“We are a family of nine – five brothers, two sisters and our parents. Our father is a construction worker and was the only breadwinner in the family. Cricket is an expensive sport and we didn’t have money for it,” explained Shahid in an interaction with Revsportz.
“I did that at school and that attracted him to the sport,” said Shahid. “Initially he participated in everything – 200m, 400m, long jump, javelin… Then a teacher at our school told Nadeem to focus on a specific subject. He chose the javelin,” he added.
Pakistan will honor ace Arshad Nadeem with Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the country’s second highest award, for his stupendous feat at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The government has also directed to issue a commemorative stamp titled ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ (commitment to stability) on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day next week.
The 27-year-old broke the Olympic record of 90.57m set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is the first individual gold in 40 years for the country.
Following President Asif Ali Zardari’s directive, his office sent a letter to the Cabinet Division for the formal conferment of the award, according to state media. “Arshad Nadeem’s remarkable performance has made the nation proud on the global stage. His remarkable success in athletics is a source of pride for the country,” President Zardari said in his letter.
(With PTI inputs)
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