Gold medalist Arshad Nadeem of Team Pakistan celebrates atfer competing in the the Men’s Javelin Throw Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

AIPS ASIA News:

PARIS, August 9,2024 – Mian Channu is a small town located in the South of Pakistan where the chances of meeting with an Olympic champion are close to zero. The community relies on two fundamentals: agriculture and cricket. When young Arshad Nadeem came up with the idea of being a javelin thrower, the people around him found it bizarre. The next thing they started collecting money to help Arshad to get the proper gear and pursue his dream, despite the lack of facility in the area. Well, that big gamble paid off Thursday at the Paris Olympics with a gold medal that will compensate those who believed in Arshad.

Arshad Nadeem was a bit slow off the blocks Thursday at the start of javelin Olympic final in Stade de France, though. His first attempt registered a no-throw and nobody could anticipate that few minutes later his second attempt would be a gigantic 92.97m throw. It was the end. The rest of the field could not even come close.

OLYMPIC RECORD Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record and ended Pakistan’s 32-year wait for success at the Games by clinching the coveted gold medal. Arshad also shattered the previous Olympic record of 90.57m, set by the Netherlands’ Andreas Thorkildsen at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. His throw is the sixth longest throw ever, and the best in the world this year.

Behind Nadeem on the podium was rival and reigning champion Neeraj Chopra, who also had a foul throw on his first attempt before eventually settling for a silver medal finish with an 89.45m throw on his second attempt.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters took home bronze, his first ever Olympic medal, with an 88.54m throw.

HISTORIC THROW Nadeem’s throw was Pakistan’s first individual gold medal, first track and field medal and the second time a South Asian has had a podium finish in track and field.

Nadeem’s journey is celebrated not because of institutional support but despite the lack thereof. When he took up javelin, Nadeem reportedly did not have much money. According to his father, Muhammad Ashraf, people pooled money so that he can train. 
SUPPORTED BY COMMUNITY “People have no idea how Arshad got to this place today. How 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 revealed. 
SPORTSMANSHIP Earlier this year, when Nadeem appealed for a new javelin for training, Neeraj Chopra supported his cause on social media, highlighting the sportsmanship between the two athletes. Nadeem’s career has notably progressed since his emergence on the scene, despite the challenges he has faced, including elbow, knee, and back issues that necessitated knee surgery last year. 

Despite lacking top facilities and equipment available to athletes in other countries, Nadeem has managed to shift some focus from cricket to athletics in Pakistan.