As a young man hailing from the small village of Mian Channu in the Khanewal District of Punjab stood draped in green on the podium in Paris as the tune of the national anthem played over the speakers, it was not just a moment of individual triumph but one where the entire nation stood proud to applaud.
The manner in which Nadeem won Pakistan's first gold medal in an individual sport and the first in track and field was worth more than the fist-sized coveted medal but the emergence of a true 'jewel'. He set a new record for javelin throw by tremendously throwing his spear a whopping 92.97 metres. This throw is now recorded as the sixth longest in the sport's history. That Nadeem has now set sights on going beyond his record in the future gives rise to wonder just what exactly this young man is truly capable of.
With his remarkable throw, Nadeem, the elbow man, brought to an end Pakistan's 32-year-long medal drought, which had persisted since 1992, when Pakistan's hockey team clinched the bronze at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. The last Olympic gold that Pakistan won was back in 1984, a faithful 40 years ago.
Nadeem, though, would have never made it to Paris, because he wanted to become a cricketer growing up. But it was his father, a construction worker, who shaped his trajectory. Born and raised in a mud brick house in an impoverished corner of rural Pakistan and forced as a young man to train in local wheat fields with homemade javelins. He was considered an exceptionally versatile athlete even from his early school years, but it took a gold medal in the Olympics for the government and sponsors to start lining up outside his door.
Unfortunately, in our country, cricket is the only sport watched, admired, talked about, sponsored, and funded by millions, even though Pakistani cricketers often fall far short of living up to their fans' expectations.
Unlike our cricket stars who had a summer to forget across the pond in America at the T20 World Cup, Arshad Nadeem did not enjoy the hype or fan following as he struggled to hone his craft. He was relatively unknown nationally and internationally, working indefatigably in a hush without seeking the spotlight. Nadeem made his Olympics debut 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. His father stated that Nadeem trained for the event in the courtyard of his home and on the unpaved streets of his neighbourhood and is believed to have not received any financial assistance from the government, even after representing Pakistan at the Tokyo Olympics.
On August 4, 2021, he qualified for the men's javelin throw event final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and finished fifth in the men's javelin throw with a fine throw of 84.62 metres. On August 7, 2022, Nadeem won a gold medal for Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Despite being injured, he set a record with his monstrous throw of 90.18 metres on his fifth attempt, surpassing world champion Anderson Peters' 88.64 metres, and became the first South Asian to surpass the 90-metre mark. This was Pakistan's first athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.
In fact, little was known about him nationally until he had a breakout year at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
He followed that up with a silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with a throw of 87.82 metres. This was Pakistan's first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships. During this event, he also secured qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Nadeem has candidly spoken about the extreme hardships of non-cricket sportsmen in Pakistan, who are largely ignored and neglected by sports officials. Perhaps, it was him for whom the American singer and songwriter Frank Ocean had said, "Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise."
He belongs to an impecunious family; he endured significant monetary challenges and struggled without proper sponsorships or funds to support his training. In the months leading up to the Summer Games, he went around seeking donations because he could not even afford a new javelin, yet his determination never wavered. His consistency paid off when, of all the sporting organisations in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) eventually stepped in to sponsor him, allowing him to continue his pursuit of excellence.
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Nadeem not only revived Pakistan's lost Olympics glory but also put Pakistan in 62nd place, nine positions ahead of India, which won six medals but occupied the 71st spot since priority is given to gold medals in the ranking.
In view of the severe challenges our country is grappling with, such as poverty, inflation, unemployment and political unrest etc, nothing could be more satisfying than seeing Pakistan sparkling brighter than the stars at a major event like the Olympics, thanks to the exceptional efforts and determination of the 'elbow man' who fought till the end and won Pakistan a gold medal. May his javelin hit the unassailable 100-metre mark in the years to come. He is not just his parents' pride but also the entire nation's pride. Long live Arshad Nadeem.
Post script
In the end, I want to appeal to the country's sports federations to end their partial policies and start searching for hidden jewels like Arshad Nadeem, who are not being supported by successive governments in their endeavours.
"Victory is always possible for a person who refuses to stop fighting."
—Napoleon Hill