Arshad won gold at Olympic 2024
Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan defeats Neeraj Chopra to win gold in the javelin at the Olympics.
With an Olympic record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters, Nadeem wins the gold, ending Pakistan’s 32-year medal drought at the Games.
Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan created history by winning the nation’s first-ever Olympic track and field medal when he won the gold in the men’s javelin final in Paris.
Arshad Nadeem
The 27-year-old shattered the Olympic record at the Stade de France on Thursday, unseating India’s Neeraj Chopra, the reigning champion.
After shattering the Olympic record with his second throw, which landed at an incredible 92.97 meters—the greatest in the world this year—Nadeem raised his arms in jubilation.
Chopra, who was the clear favorite to win and was leading the qualifiers, didn’t seem to be at his best. He fouled on five of his attempts, therefore his greatest effort of 89.45 meters was also his only legitimate effort.
After missing out in the final at the Tokyo Games three years prior, Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, found redemption with a bronze medal in 88.54 meters.
But despite the poor state of sports facilities in the cricket-mad nation, the night belonged to the modest man from Mian Channu, a small village in the eastern Punjab region, who recovered from a knee injury early this year and made history for his country.
Pakistan has won eight Olympic medals total, six in men’s hockey and one each in men’s boxing and wrestling.
With Arshad’s accomplishment, Pakistan won its first medal in the Olympics in eight years. The last medal was earned in 1992 when the men’s hockey team took home a bronze in Barcelona, Spain.
Nadeem makes Pakistan ‘so proud’
Arshad Nadeem spent a day getting ready for the Olympics with Abid Hussain of Al Jazeera, two months before to the Games.
Nadeem had informed us back in June that he was “strong and fit” for the global tournament and that he was “quite hopeful of a strong performance in Paris.”
The world record throw is still held by Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic, who achieved an incredible 98.48, but Nadeem’s teammates were outraged by the new Olympic record and the conclusion of a protracted wait for their nation.
Men’s cricket player for Pakistan Fakhar Zaman wrote on X that the nation was “beaming with pride,” and Nadeem’s former coach and mentor Rasheed Ahmad Saqi was overcome with emotion when his protégé won the gold.
This is a gift from God to the entire country for our upcoming Independence Day celebration, which is next week. Shortly after the gold medal’s confirmation, he told Al Jazeera, “I’m just so proud of Arshad.”
According to Saqi, he was certain Nadeem would take home a medal and had even predicted it would be a gold one.
“I thought he was going to smash a record. I had no doubt that he would smash either his personal or the Olympic record, and he accomplished just that.
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, also thanked Arshad Nadeem for creating history for his nation.
“You’ve made the whole nation proud,” he wrote on X.
‘The boy who won gold is also my son’
The mother of silver medallist and world champion Neeraj Chopra expressed her happiness at her son’s performance.
She told the Indian news agency ANI, “To us, this silver [medal] feels like gold.”
“The boy is also my son who took home the gold.” He put a lot of effort into it.
How Arshad Nadeem switched from cricket to athletics
Cricket was Arshad Nadeem’s first priority.
“I used to be a very good bowler and would participate in a lot of tournaments,” Nadeem told Al Jazeera.
Shahid noted that he was well-known in the village for his bowling skills. “He was capable of eliminating teams on his own. Shoaib Akhtar, one of Pakistan’s fastest bowlers who retired in 2011, is someone Nadeem could have become as fast as if he had played on, the man stated.
However, Nadeem was dissuaded from playing cricket by his father and his two elder brothers.
“My dad was not a big fan of cricket. “You work so hard to win the match, but your teammates leave it all on you and don’t perform,” he would add. You ought to pursue another endeavor. Nadeem thought back.
A adolescent Nadeem was also informed by Shahid that it would be challenging to succeed in a popular sport like cricket. Nadeem, who was swift and well-built, began to participate in school athletics, such as sprints, long jump, triple leap, discus throwing, and javelin, with the support of his brother.
Then, in 2011, Nadeem was seen competing by Rasheed Ahmad Saqi, a Mian Channu native and hotelier who scouts and invests in fresh athletic talent.
Two weeks afterward, Ashraf brought his son to Saqi’s office when he was seated in the hotel he runs in Mian Channu. Ashraf informed him, “Arshad is your son and your responsibility from today.”
“And ever since that day, I have taken him under my wing,” stated Saqi, who served as Nadeem’s initial mentor and coach.
Arshad Nadeem: Who is he?
Arshad Nadeem was born on January 2, 1997, around 300 kilometers (186 miles) southwest of the megacity of Lahore, in a small town close to the city of Mian Channu in southern Punjab state.
Nadeem, the third of seven siblings, was raised in a financially strapped family. The only source of income was his father, Muhammad Ashraf, a retired construction worker.
Shahid Azeem, 32, Nadeem’s older brother, stated that their family would only get to eat meat once a year—during Eid al-Adha.
In a phone chat, Shahid told Al Jazeera, “It would be a lucky day for the family if we ate anything more than lentils or vegetables.”
Nadeem was taller than his peers when he was younger. He stood over six feet (183 cm) tall when he was fourteen years old. Shahid claimed that their father, who is also taller than six feet, gave them the “gift.”
You’ve made the whole nation proud’
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, has congratulated Arshad Nadeem on creating history for his nation.
he said in a post on X “You’ve made the whole nation proud,”
‘Pakistan is gleaming with pride’
Pakistani journalists, cricket players, and political figures are the first to congratulate Arshad Nadeem on his accomplishment.
Men’s cricket player for Pakistan, Fakhar Zaman, wrote on X that the nation was “beaming with pride.”
It’s hard to explain Arshad Nadeem’s accomplishment
winning the first individual gold medal for Pakistan, the first medal for forty years, the first win against Chopra on the tenth try, and all of it with two throws more than ninety meters. It’s challenging to describe what Nadeem has accomplished and the challenges he has faced.
And all of this while receiving very little assistance from authorities or regulatory entities. covering his own medical expenses for his injuries and getting ready in the sweltering 40°C (104°F) heat without air conditioning.
Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem: spirited competitors and close friends
As evidenced by their post-final embrace, Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra, the two South Asian javelin winners, have a great deal of affection for one another.
Pakistani flag is flown by Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem hurried over to his group to seize the Pakistani flag as soon as his victory was verified.
To celebrate his accomplishment, he raised it in the air and ran around the javelin area.
Pakistan will rejoice over this victory.
The culmination of the 32-year wait will be met with widespread jubilation throughout Pakistan.
The modest 27-year-old from the Punjab province’s little hamlet of Mian Channu has accomplished what many others have not. After forty years, he has delivered an Olympic gold medal.