Injuries and medals. These are the two things that summarise Pakistan’s javelin player Arshad Nadeem. This Pakistani athlete etched his name in the history books at the Paris Olympics, breaking the Olympic record with a 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin event, winning Pakistan’s first Olympic medal in 32 years.
The love for Sports
Arshad Nadeem was born in a small tehsil of Mian Channu, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. He started playing sports at an early age. During his youth, he tried his luck in cricket, badminton, football, and athletics. He also participated in tapeball tournaments in Pakistan. Later, Arshad became fascinated by athletics and took up the sport. He started with shot put and discus throw, but later, his father encouraged him to take up javelin throw.
Struggles and setback
Arshad Nadeem indeed battled numerous setbacks and injuries, struggling especially to train in Pakistan, yet he made his name at the Paris Olympics. He received a scholarship to train in Mauritius and began winning international medals, including a bronze in the South Asian Games in Guwahati. Neeraj and Arshad have been competing against each other from a very young age. This is the first time he defeated Neeraj; before this, including junior games, Neeraj had defeated him nine times. He later represented Pakistan in the World Athletics Championship, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
Making history in Tokyo Olympics
Arshad competed in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, becoming the first Pakistani player to qualify for the final of any track and field event in Olympic history, although he finished fifth. He won gold with his personal best of 90.18m at the Commonwealth Games 2022. Despite a subsequent injury and recovery struggles, Arshad made a remarkable comeback, winning silver in the 2023 World Championship and finally breaking the Olympic record with a 92.97m throw in Paris.
Challenges in training
Recently, he also complained about the facilities in Lahore, where he was not getting an air-conditioned room and time for Riyaz, as many people and athletes practice in the same stadium. In a recent interaction with Pakistani media, he said, “Pakistan does not have proper athletics grounds. If a proper ground is made for us, it will be a big relief for athletes in Pakistan.”
He got sponsorship from Multan Sultans, a cricket franchise based in the Pakistan Super League. Although his journey was filled with injuries and many medals, the Pakistani player finally reached the biggest stage and made his name by becoming the first player to win individual gold for Pakistan.
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