Arshad Nadeem: From Mian Channu To Olympic Glory (image-twitter/ImranKhanPTI)
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem’s journey to glory is awe-inspiring as he grabbed the international headlines with a record-breaking 92.7-meter throw in the javelin final. More than a personal triumph, his story is a testament to resilience in the face of adversity.
When Pakistan’s national board was deciding who to finance among the seven athletes bound for the Paris Olympics, only Arshad and his coach were deemed good enough for funds. On Thursday, on a historic night in Paris, the 27-year-old from Khanewal village in Punjab grabbed the Olympic record, the country’s first individual gold at the biggest sporting stage on the planet.
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Cut to five months before the javelin final, the new Olympic champion from Pakistan was struggling to acquire a new javelin in March 2024 and it was Neeraj who had to make a heartfelt plea to support Arshad. The ace javelin thrower revealed that he has been using the same javelin for nearly seven to eight years, a situation far from ideal for an athlete competing at the highest level.
Neeraj’s gesture underscored the respect and friendship that transcends national boundaries in the world of sports.
Unlike other international athletes, Nadeem did not have the institutional support that many athletes around the world benefit from. The entire journey of Nadeem is inspiring to the world as he hailed from a family that struggled to even buy the food of their choice. Their bond was beyond the political differences that existed between the countries. Neeraj won gold at the World Athletics Championship and Arshab grabbed silver. When Neeraj and bronze medallist Jakub Vadlejch were posing for the picture with their national flags, Nadeem was invited by Chopra for the picture. As Arshad did not have his country flag with him, Chopra shared the frame under the Indian flag. The pair stood together with the Indian flag behind them for the photo ritual.
Nadeem’s love for javelin ignited in all challenging circumstances, even when the sources were scarce. Along with his family, the local community also played a major role in shaping his sporting career. “People have no idea how Arshad got to this place today. His fellow villagers and relatives used to donate money so that he could travel to other cities for his training and events in his early days,” his father, Muhammad Ashraf said.
“We have seen days when I would earn 300-400 rupees a day and had to support nine beings at home. But we made sure that Arshad and his siblings got milk and ghee,” his uncle had said.
Though he was the only athlete to be financed by the Pakistan sports body, the beginning of the journey wasn’t smooth. Third of seven siblings, the son of a construction worker, Nadeem, and his family would only get to eat once a year, during al Eid-al-Adha.
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Nadeem’s athletic prowess was evident from his early school years. He initially wanted to be a cricketer. His passion for cricket led him to play at the district level, and it was his performance in an athletics competition that caught the attention of coach Rasheed Ahmad Saqi who took him under his wings and nurtured his talent. And thus his javelin throw career began in 2015.
In addition to financial struggles, Nadeem had battled physical setbacks, including elbow, knee and back injuries, which required knee surgery last year.
Arshad Nadeem’s story is a powerful reminder of talent and determination. No obstacles deterred him on the big day. He walked up and sent the javelin into the night sky in Paris, creating historic record.
