In a nutshell

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw competition.

He put an end to Pakistan’s thirty-two-year Olympic medal drought.

The Pakistani competitor’s throw of 92.97 meters eclipsed the Olympic record.

On Thursday, August 8, Arshad Nadeem, the rising star of Pakistan, created history by enveloping himself in his country’s flag while shedding tears down his cheeks. The touching moment was caught on camera, with Arshad beaming with pride at what he had accomplished for his nation. The enormous throng of fans that had gathered to support him during the men’s javelin throw final at the Olympics in Paris drove him to tears.

The 27-year-old athlete earned Pakistan’s first Olympic medal in 32 years and became the nation’s first track and field medalist. Arshad’s story is one of tenacity, particularly in a country that is obsessed with cricket but has little infrastructure for track and field competitors. He left his mark on the biggest sporting stage in the world despite the odds. Arshad accomplished this by triumphing over his close friend and great athlete from India, Neeraj Chopra, who had taken home a gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics.

Arshad Nadeem smashed the Olympic record with a huge throw of 92.97 meters in the second round, following a foul on his first attempt. He was overcome with emotion after the throw since he had been training and praying for this moment for years. It seemed obvious that he should have the gold medal after the second throw. Despite finding some motivation, Neeraj was unable to overcome Arshad despite recording his season-best throw of 89.4 meters on his second try.

Afterwards, Arshad cemented his supremacy in the javelin throw competition with a final throw of 91.79 meters.

Arshad Nadeem’s narrative
Arshad: A Construction Worker’s Son

The life of Arshad Nadeem is incredibly inspiring. Arshad was born on January 2, 1997, in the Punjabi hamlet of Mian Channu. He has seven siblings, the oldest being the third. His father, a construction worker, was the only source of income for his family, which had financial difficulties. The town banded together at one point to gather funds for Arshad’s competitive training and overseas travel.

From his early school years, Arshad demonstrated his athletic ability by excelling in a variety of sports, such as football, badminton, cricket, and athletics. He played at the district level because he was passionate about cricket, but coach Rasheed Ahmed Saqi saw him when he excelled in athletics and took him under his wing.

Anderson Peters of Grenada threw 88.54 meters to win the bronze medal. With his best performance of 89.45 meters, Neeraj won the silver medal and joined the ranks of Indian athletes who have won five Olympic medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Since Arshad Nadeem became Pakistan’s first individual gold medallist, his triumph is historic. There are just three individual Olympic medalists from Pakistan: boxer Hussain Shah, who won bronze in Seoul in 1988; wrestler Muhammad Bashir, who won bronze in 1960; and now Arshad, who joined this select group with his gold in Paris.

The tale of Arshad Nadeem’s tenacity and commitment to excellence at the Olympics is inspiring. Arshad, who came from a low-income family, used to watch villagers participate in a sport called tent pegging, which is similar to javelin throwing in its precision and talent.

He played tape-ball cricket in his early years before becoming passionate about javelin throwing. Even in hard financial circumstances, his uncle made sure he ate a lot of milk and ghee.

Arshad remained steadfast in his passion despite his injuries. He studied javelin throwing tactics at home for a while, drawing inspiration from videos of Neeraj Chopra.While recuperating at home, he would often delve into the similarities between tent pegging and javelin throwing. In the previous year, his uncle Ashraf told reporters, “He would tell us that it’s as precise as tent pegging and that achieving the right angle and velocity in javelin throw is crucial.”