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Arshad Nadeem celebrates after claiming old in Paris. (Getty Images)
Arshad Nadeem struggled to gather funds to support his training and participation in events as he hailed from a humble background but he overcame the difficulties to create history.
Arshad Nadeem on Thursday created history by breaking the Olympics record for the longest javelin throw in men’s event history to clinch the gold medal in Paris. With a gigantic throw of 92.97m, he now holds the record for the sixth longest throw in the history of men’s javelin throw.
Nadeem hails from Mian Channu (Punjab), and is third among seven siblings. He comes from a humble background, the son of a retired construction worker who played cricket growing up before switching to javelin.
His family reportedly ate meat once a year – during Eid-Al-Adha with his brother claiming for them, eating anything more than “lentils or vegetables”, would be counted among lucky days.
The 27-year-old struggled to gather funds and as per his father Muhammad Ashraf, Nadeem relied on the money donated by fellow villagers and relatives to train and travel to other cities for events.
“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 told PTI.
Nadeem was encouraged to take athletics by his brothers and he played a variety of sports before zeroing in on javelin.
When Pakistan’s national sports board was deciding who to finance among the seven athletes that qualified for the Paris Olympics, only Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt were deemed good enough for funds.
And the 6’3″ tall sent the spear to 92.97m in a jaw-dropping performance to shatter the previous Olympic record of 90.57m and boss a field that also featured his good friend but fierce rival from across the border Neeraj Chopra.
This after Nadeem had sent out an appeal to his national federation to help him replace his old javelin in March this year as he struggled to buy a new one.
Nadeem said he was using the same javelin for 7-8 years and it got damaged due to repetitive use. It was a shocking news considering his stature.
Neeraj, who shares a warm relationship with the Pakistan star, was himself in disbelief and hoped that javelin makers would be “more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs.”
Defying the odds, Nadeem went on to create history in Paris and will return home an Olympic champion.
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