Introduction
Arshad Nadeem, (born January 2, 1997) Pakistani javelin thrower is the current Olympic champion, With a record throw of 92.97 meters at the 2024 Summer Olympics. In both the Olympic and World Athletics Championships, he is the first Pakistani to make it to the final. With his 90.18-meter throw in 2022, Nadeem broke the record for the Commonwealth Games. In 2023, he earned silver at the World Athletics Championships, the first medal ever for Pakistan. He is a national competitor with WAPDA.”
Early life
Born in Mian Channu, Punjab, Arshad Nadeem is the third of eight siblings in a Punjabi household. Arshad played in district-level cricket events and attracted the attention of coach Rasheed Ahmad Saqi in grade seven. Arshad was initially interested about cricket. He attempted shot put and discus, but after taking home gold at the Punjab Youth Festivals. He concentrated on the javelin throw. In 2015, Arshad made the decision to convert from cricket to javelin, which he believes changed his life, with the encouragement of his father, Muhammad Ashraf.
Career
Early years
In 2015, Arshad Nadeem started competing in the javelin throw. In 2016, he was granted a scholarship by World Athletics, which enabled him to train in Mauritius. With a personal best of 78.33 meters, he won bronze at the South Asian Games that year and then won the Asian Junior Athletics Championship. In 2017, he took home a bronze medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games, and in 2018, he recorded a personal best of 80.45 meters. At the Asian Games, he achieved a personal best of 80.75 meters to win gold. With throws of 81.52 meters in the World Championships, 83.65 meters at the National Games, and 86.29 meters at the South Asian Games in 2019, he set three national records.
Olympics and international success
2020 Tokyo Olympics
Arshad Nadeem made history by qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021, and becoming the first track and field athlete from Pakistan to do so. Lacking facilities and funding, he trained in his own courtyard and on the streets. He made it to the finals of the javelin throw, where he placed fifth with a throw of 84.62 meters. Nadeem has drawn attention to the disregard Pakistani non-cricket athletes endure.
2022 World Athletics Championships
Arshad Nadeem trained with instructor Terseus Liebenberg in South Africa leading up to the World Championships. He was the lone competitor from Pakistan in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he placed fifth with a throw of 86.16 meters.
2022 Commonwealth Games
Despite an injury, Arshad Nadeem won gold at the Commonwealth Games on August 7, 2022, with a record throw of 90.18 meters. He won Pakistan's first gold medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games since 1962 and became the first South Asian to go over 90 meters.
2022 Islamic Games
With a record-breaking throw of 88.55 meters, Arshad Nadeem won gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games on August 12, 2022. With a throw of 81.21 meters, he also won gold at the National Athletics Championship in Lahore in November 2022.
Elbow and knee injury
Arshad Nadeem left Pakistan on December 1, 2022, via the Athletics Federation of Pakistan, to receive treatment in the UK for his knee and elbow problems. He was treated at Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, and following 10 days of therapy. A full recovery was anticipated in four to six weeks.
2023 Pakistan National Games and knee injury
Arshad Nadeem was the National Games javelin gold medallist, but he was unable to compete in the Asian Athletics Championships due to a knee injury. WAPDA's pressure on Nadeem to compete was questioned by AFP President Akram Sahi.
2023 World Athletics Championships
Pakistan's first medal in the event came from Arshad Nadeem, who threw 87.82 meters to win silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In addition, he earned a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
2024 Paris Diamond League
With a throw of 84.21 meters, Arshad Nadeem finished fourth at the Paris Diamond League in July 2024.
2024 Paris Olympics
Arshad Nadeem created history by being the first Pakistani to win an individual Olympic gold medal and the first in track and field at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. With a throw that was the sixth longest in history, measuring 92.97 meters, he broke the record and put an end to Pakistan's 32-year Olympic medal drought. Moreover, Nadeem made history by being the fourth competitor to clear 90 meters in an Olympic javelin final.
Personal life
Arshad Nadeem is married with a daughter and a son. A devout Muslim, he is an introvert who prefers solitude. His coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, describes him as respectful, focused, and resilient, with a Zen-like demeanor.