Arshad Nadeem's Journey: The Story Behind His Historic Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics

The road to Paris was anything but smooth for Nadeem. In the Tokyo Olympics 2020, he received no support from the government for his travel. With only a few months left before the Paris Games, he requested the authorities to replace his old javelin, as it had become nearly impossible to practice with it. His friends and neighbors had to step in, pooling their resources to arrange his travel and other expenses for overseas tournaments.

Nadeem's journey in sports was not straightforward. He dabbled in cricket, football, hockey, and kabaddi before finally focusing on javelin. With no access to standard training facilities in Pakistan, he trained in his own backyard.

His struggles didn't end there. Nadeem faced severe issues with his knees and shoulder, undergoing multiple surgeries—the most recent one in February this year. There was significant doubt about whether he would even be able to compete in the Olympics.

To describe his record-breaking 92.97m throw, any adjective seems too light. What Nadeem achieved is hard to put into words—his accomplishment is monumental for athletics, for sports, for the people of Pakistan, and for himself.

The 27-year-old from Khanewal village in the Punjab region was the only Pakistani to qualify for the final at this Olympics. Right after his qualification, his home erupted in celebration, with his family and fellow villagers raising slogans of "Pakistan Zindabad" (Long Live Pakistan) and distributing sweets.

"If my son can bring home an Olympic medal for Pakistan, it would be the proudest moment for us and everyone in this village," his father said.

Now, he can indeed throw the biggest party of his life to celebrate his gold medal triumph in the French capital.

For a man who grew up practicing in the sweltering heat, with temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius at times, the Paris track and field arena was a cakewalk for Nadeem.