Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem created history by not only becoming the first Olympics gold medalist for his country but also with his Olympic-record throw of 92.97 meters at the Paris 2024 games.
Nadeem won a gold medal after finishing first in the finals of the Men's javelin throw event, with his best throw of 92.97 meters in his second attempt, on Thursday, August 8, at the Stade de France in Paris.
He defeated the defending champion from the Tokyo 2020 games and World Number 2 Neeraj Chopra, who had to settle for a silver medal, with a throw of 89.45 meters.
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In this article, The Sporting News looks at Arshad Nadeem's career, struggles, his achievements, rivalry with India's Neeraj Chopra and more importantly his gold medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Who is Arshad Nadeem?
Born on January 2, 1997, in Mian Channu, Punjab (Pakistan), Arshad Nadeem made history when he won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming first Pakistani athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics, in both individual events.
During the 1947 partition, his family migrated to the newly formed country of Pakistan, from Ferozepur in the Indian state of Punjab.
Nadeem is the third oldest among eight siblings. Growing up in a traditional Punjabi family, he was a natural athlete, involving himself in a variety of sports including cricket, football, badminton and athletics.
The first recognition of his athletic talent happened during a competition when he caught the eye of Rasheed Ahmed Saqi, who was known to develop sportsmen of that age-division.
His choice of picking javelin throw over other sports was not straight forward; he had also excelled in both shot put and discus throws.
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However, after winning back-to-back gold medals in javelin at the Punjabi Youth festivals, he found himself on the national stage, with offers from the WAPDA (Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority), Army, the Air force and from some local domestic teams.
Moreover, Nadeem took his final decision after his father Muhammad Ashraf convinced him to take up the sport of javelin throw.
His former coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, who is a former national-level discus thrower, said that Nadeem was a very respectful and obeying athlete who bowed his head as he hears his coach’s words.
"He [Nadeem] is Zen-like. He is quiet. He is focused, and no matter the setback, he does not let it linger. This is one of the most incredible things about Nadeem, and you cannot really teach it either," his coach had told Al Jazeera.
Arshad Nadeem - Early career
Nadeem started competing in javelin throw events, in the year 2015. In the very next year in 2016, he received a scholarship from the World Athletics, which gave him an opportunity to train at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius.
Early in 2016, Nadeem won the bronze medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, India. He also set a national record, then his personal best of 78.33 meters at the event.
In June that year, he went on to win another bronze medal at the 17th Asian Junior Athletics Championship held in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
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In the following year in 2017, Nadeem again won a bronze medal with a throw of 76.33 meters at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.
During the Commonwealth games at the Gold Coast, Australia, in April 2018, he recorded a throw over 80 meters for the first time (80.45m) in his career, during the qualification round, as he finished eighth in the overall rankings.
In August that year, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he set national record of 80.75m.
In November 2019, Nadeem set another national record when he recorded an 83.65-meter throw to win gold medal for WAPDA at the 33rd National Games in Peshawar.
In the same year, in December 2019, he won a gold medal with an 86.29-meter throw, at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal, which was a record in the tournament's history.
Arshad Nadeem's first taste of Olympics at the Tokyo 2020 games
The Pakistan javelin thrower, Arshad Nadeem became the first person from his country to qualify for the Olympics as a track and field athlete, as he went on to make his Olympics debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.
He qualified for the finals and finished fifth in the standings, with a throw of 84.62m, in the same event where India's Neeraj Chopra went on to win gold, in his Olympics debut as well.
However, unlike his Indian counterpart, who had much better access to world-class training, by that point of time, Nadeem had a much bigger struggle as he was not backed with financial assistance and facilities by the Pakistan government.
Nadeem's father, who is a construction worker, had to buy equipment for his son, with his own money, as the youngster underwent training in his own house's courtyard and streets.
After winning the 2024 Paris Olympics gold, Nadeem said: "I don't have the kind of facilities other athletes have, but I tried to work with whatever I got."
Arshad Nadeem's gold medal at the Commonweath games 2022
Ahead of the World Athletics Championships in 2022 in USA, where he finished fifth, he got a chance to take part in a training in South Africa, under the supervision of the world athletic coach Terseus Liebenberg.
In August 2022, he went on to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth games in Birmingham, England, where he recorded a throw of 90.18 meters, as he overtook champion Anderson Peters' throw of 88.64, in his fifth attempt. It was also Pakistan's first gold medal in athletics at the CWG since 1962.
India's Neeraj Chopra had to miss the tournament due to an injury. With his record throw of 90.18m, Nadeem became the first South Asian to cross the 90-meter mark in javelin throw.
Later that year, he went to win gold medals at both the Islamic games and at the 50th National Athletics Championship in Lahore.
Arshad Nadeem wins a gold medal - his path to the Paris 2024 Olympic games
Arshad Nadeem secured qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2023 in Budapest, where he finished with a throw of 87.82 meters.
Nadeem was also announced as Pakistan's flagbearer during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he went on to become the first athlete from Pakistan to win a gold medal at the Olympic games for his country.
In his second attempt at the finals of the Men's javelin throw event, he broke the Olympic record with a throw of 92.97m, which was enough to secure a gold medal, with the second-best throw being India's Neeraj Chopra, who finished with a best of 89.45m.
MORE: How many times has Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at international javelin events
India star Neeraj Chopra's support, friendship and rivalry with Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem
It sounds unbelievable but just five months before the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nadeem had revealed that he had been using the same javelin for nearly eight years, which had now become unsuitable to compete at the world events, due to its wear and tear.
"It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged, and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics," Nadeem had then said as he was struggling to buy a new javelin, without any financial support.
Neeraj Chopra, who had developed great respect for his fellow athlete, spoke up in solidarity, hearing about Nadeem's flight, as he urged the Pakistan government and authorities to provide the star athlete with the necessary support.
"It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all. Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs," Chopra said.
Being from two countries, divided by boundaries, who consider each other to be arch-rivals on the world stage, the two athletes have competed fiercely on the field, but the respect and admiration that they share with each other during international events has not gone unnoticed.
That Heartwarming moment when Neeraj Chopra invited Arshad Nadeem for a picture as he realised hat Arshad was missing his nation's flag at the moment. The two athletes, who had been fierce competitors on the field, posed together with the Indian flag.#ArshadNadeem #NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/qOjdTJ782e — Ahtasham Riaz (@ahtashamriaz22) August 7, 2024
After his silver medal win at the Paris 2024 games, Chopra congratulated Nadeem for the gold medal victory, but assured his fans that he will come back stronger in the future, keeping the fire of rivalry alight.
"Today was Arshad's day. I gave my best, but there are areas that need improvement. Our national anthem may not have been played today, but it will definitely be played somewhere in the future."
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List of major achievements of Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem
Here is a list of medals won by Pakistan javelin throw athlete, Arshad Nadeem in major competitions of his career so far:
| Year | Competition | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Asian Games | Bronze |
| 2022 | Commonwealth Games (Birmingham, England) | Gold |
| 2023 | World Athletics Championship (Budapest, Hungary) | Silver |
| 2024 | Paris 2024 Olympics | Gold |
MORE: India at Paris 2024 Olympics: Medal winners and standings