Arshad Nadeem scripted history by becoming the first athlete from Pakistan to win an individual Olympic gold medal after he clinched the top honour in men’s javelin throw event at the Paris Olympics 2024. Arshad stunned everyone as he came up with a mammoth 92.97m throw to break the Olympic record and finish ahead of Neeraj Chopra whose season best throw of 89.45m earned him a sliver. While Arshad has established himself as a star in athletics, he wanted to be a cricketer while growing up. However, he had to give up his dream and his brother Shahid explained the reason behind his decision.

“We are a family of nine – five brothers, two sisters and our parents. Our father is a construction worker and he was the sole breadwinner of the family. Cricket is an expensive sport and we couldn’t afford it,” Shahid explained in an interaction with Revsportz.

“I used to do it in school and that attracted him to the sport,” Shahid recounted. “Initially, he used to participate in everything – 200m, 400m, long jump, javelin… Then, a teacher in our school told Nadeem to concentrate on one particular discipline. He chose javelin,” he added.

Pakistan will honour the ace athlete Arshad Nadeem with Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the second highest award of the country, for his stupendous feat at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The government also directed for a commemorative stamp titled ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ (commitment to stability) to be issued on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day next week.

The 27-year-old broke the Olympic record of 90.57 m set at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It is the first individual gold in 40 years for the country.

Following the directive by President Asif Ali Zardari, his office sent a letter to the Cabinet Division for the formal conferment of the award, according to state media. “Arshad Nadeem’s remarkable performance has made the nation proud on the global stage. His outstanding success in athletics is a source of pride for the country,” President Zardari stated in his letter.

(With PTI inputs)