Arshad Nadeem was born into a Punjabi Muslim family in Mian Channu, in the Punjab province of Pakistan.[12] The family reportedly belongs to the Jat community.[13][14] He is the third-oldest among eight siblings.[12] Nadeem was an exceptionally versatile athlete from his early school years. Though he dabbled in all the sports on offer in his school — cricket, badminton, football and athletics — his passion was cricket, and he soon found himself playing it at district-level tape-ball tournaments.[15] Upon entering grade seven in school, Nadeem caught the eye of Rasheed Ahmad Saqi during an athletics competition. Saqi had a history of developing sportspeople in the division, and began training Nadeem soon afterwards.[16][17]
Before settling on javelin throw, Nadeem also pursued shot put and discus throw. Gold medals in the javelin throw in successive Punjab Youth Festivals and an inter-board meet propelled him on to the national stage, bringing offers from all the leading domestic departmental teams, including the athletics sections of the Pakistan Army, Air Force and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).[16] It was his father, Muhammad Ashraf, who persuaded him to take up the sport of javelin throwing.[18] Nadeem actually aspired to become a full-time cricketer, but he changed his mind and shifted his focus to athletics as he first picked up the javelin in 2015; Nadeem himself acknowledged that it was "the best thing that happened" to him.[19]
Arshad Nadeem started competing in javelin competitions in 2015. In 2016, he received a scholarship from World Athletics, which made him eligible to train at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius.[15]
In February 2016, Nadeem won the bronze medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, India, setting a national record and his personal best at 78.33 m.[20]
In May 2017, Nadeem won a bronze medal with a throw of 76.33 m at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.[22] In April 2018, he set a new personal best of 80.45 m in the qualification round of the Commonwealth Games,[23] held in Gold Coast, Australia, and finished eighth.[24] He also sustained a back injury following the end of 2018 Commonwealth Games.[15] In August 2018, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he set a new personal best and national record of 80.75 m.[25]
As the only Pakistani athlete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships[26] in Doha, Qatar, Nadeem achieved a new personal best and national record of 81.52 m.[27] In November 2019, Nadeem broke the national record again when he recorded an 83.65 m throw to win gold for WAPDA at the 33rd National Games in Peshawar.[28] In December 2019, he won a gold medal with an 86.29 m games record throw at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal.[29]
Olympics and international success (2021 – present day)
2020 Tokyo Olympics
Nadeem made his debut at the Olympics, representing Pakistan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held in Tokyo in 2021. He became the first Pakistani track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics.[30][31] His father stated that Nadeem was not provided with a good training ground facility prior to competing at the Olympics.[32] Nadeem trained in his home's courtyard and on the streets, and is believed to have not received any financial assistance from the Government of Pakistan after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.[18] Nadeem has openly spoken about the extreme difficulties of non-cricket sportspeople in Pakistan, who are largely ignored and neglected by sports officials.
On 4 August 2021, he qualified for the men's javelin throw event final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[33][34] He became the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any Olympic track and field event.[35][36] He finished fifth in the men's javelin throw with a throw of 84.62 m.[37][38]
2022 World Athletics Championships
From March 2022, until the start of the world championships, Nadeem trained in South Africa under the supervision of coach Terseus Liebenberg.[39] The training was arranged by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP).[40][41]
In July 2022, Nadeem participated in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, US, as the sole representative from Pakistan. He finished fifth in the final with a throw of 86.16 m.[42]
2022 Commonwealth Games: Gold medal and Games record
On 7 August 2022, Nadeem won a gold medal for Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Despite being injured, he set a games record with his throw of 90.18 m on his fifth attempt, surpassing world champion Anderson Peters' 88.64 m, becoming the first South Asian to surpass the 90 m mark.[9][43] This was Pakistan's first athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.[44]
2022 Islamic Games: Gold medal
Five days later, on 12 August 2022, Nadeem won another gold medal for Pakistan at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games. He broke the games record with his throw of 88.55 m.[45]
In November 2022, Nadeem won the gold medal in the javelin throw, with a toss of 81.21 m, at the 50th National Athletics Championship in Lahore.[46]
Elbow and knee injury (Late 2022)
Nadeem left for the UK on 1 December 2022 to get treatment on his injured elbow and knee joint. The AFP arranged for him to be treated at Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital. After a ten-day rehabilitation and physiotherapy period, full recovery took a further four to six weeks.[47]
2023 Pakistan National Games and knee injury
In May 2023, Nadeem participated in the 34th National Games of Pakistan and won a gold medal with the longest throw of 78.02 m during his third attempt, while representing WAPDA.[48] However, he suffered a knee injury, which ruled him out of the Asian Athletics Championships. AFP president Akram Sahi blamed WAPDA for forcing Nadeem to participate in the National Games.[49][50]
In July 2024, Nadeem finished in fourth place in the Paris Diamond League with a 84.21m throw on his fifth attempt.[53]
2024 Paris Olympics: Gold medal and Olympic record
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Nadeem became the first Pakistani to win an Olympic medal in Athletics, by winning an Olympic gold medal.[54] He is also the first Pakistani athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for an individual sport.[55] He not only claimed the men's javelin throw title but set a new Olympic record of 92.97 m in the final.[56] The previous Olympic record holder was Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen, who achieved 90.57 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[57] Nadeem's throw is the sixth-longest throw ever, when considering only the best throw from each athlete.[5][58] Nadeem won Pakistan’s first Olympic medal since 1992, and their first Olympic gold medal since 1984.[59] Prior to the 2024 Olympics, Nadeem was considered as an underdog by many critics.[19] His throw of 92.97 m was also confirmed by officials as the longest throw in the world by any male javelin thrower in the current season. He was only the fourth athlete to breach the 90 m mark in the javelin final in the history of Olympics, a feat he achieved twice, in his second and final throw.[60]
On 11 August 2024, Nadeem was honoured with a parade in Lahore.[55]
Personal life
Arshad Nadeem is married and has a daughter and a son. He is a devout Muslim.[61]
Nadeem describes himself as an introvert.[6] His coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, a former national-level discus thrower, remembered him as a very respectful and obedient athlete who bowed his head as he listened to his coach's words. "He 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 said.[6]
In August 2024, a special postage stamp themed 'Azm-e-Istehkam' was issued by the federal government in connection with Pakistan's Independence Day featuring an image of Nadeem.[63][64] The Capital Development Authority upon the directives of the federal government, decided to rename the Margalla Road in Islamabad's sector F-10, extending from the F-10 roundabout to Khayaban-i-Iqbal after Arshad Nadeem.[65]
^Tamta, Prashant (6 August 2024). "Who is Arshad Nadeem, the main challenger of Neeraj Chopra in Paris Olympics?". DNA India. Retrieved 16 August 2024. Born into a Punjabi Jat family in Pakistan's Punjab, he is the third-oldest among eight siblings. Nadeem made his debut at the Olympics at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held in 2021.
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