Arshad Nadeem, of Pakistan, competes during the men’s javelin throw final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Nadeem, who clinched the yellow metal at Paris 2024 with a mammoth effort of 92.97m, opened up on his journey from fashioning his first javelin over a decade ago from bamboo sticks to the top place on the podium at the sporting extravaganza.
Pakistan javelin throw star Arshad Nadeem made history as he ended a prolonged wait of four decades for the Pakistani anthem to be played at the Olympics with his record-breaking showing in Paris 2024.
Nadeem, who pipped out India’s Neeraj Chopra to the yellow metal with a mammoth effort of 92.97m at the quadrennial showpiece in the French capital, opened up on his journey from fashioning his first javelin over a decade ago from bamboo sticks to the top place on the podium at the sporting extravaganza.
“I made that javelin myself in 2012,” the 27-year-old said as he touched upon his first ever javelin.
It isn’t unnatural that Nadeem was taken by the charm of the willow and leather in a nation that reverse the sport of cricket early on in life before making the pivot to javelin on the advice of his father and elder brother.
“They told me ‘try shot put or javelin because there’s a chance you might excel in an individual sport rather than a team game like cricket,’” Nadeem said.
Nadeem, who placed fifth in Tokyo 2020 with a best effort of 84.62m, revealed that his preparation for the spectacle in France began right after the deferred Olympics in Japan.
“I started to train for Paris soon after the Tokyo Olympics because I knew, I could do something special for Pakistan,” Nadeem said in a TV interview.
Nadeem turned out to be the sole shining light in an otherwise horrendous Olympic campaign for Pakistan, as the six other athletes failed to make the podium in their respective events across disciplines.
He revealed that he halted his social media consumption a few days ahead of his event as he was aware of the intense pressure on him to win a medal for his country.
“I stopped watching social media two days before the qualifying round because I was the last hope of millions of Pakistanis back home,” Nadeem said.
Nadeem’s wife Ayesha reflected on her excitement following the heroics of the athlete stating, “I didn’t sleep for three nights. I knew he could do it, and I didn’t stop praying for him.”
Nadeem received high words of praise from his first coach following his heroics in Paris as Arshad Ahmed Saqi lauded the Olympic gold-medallist stating, “When he first came to me 12 years ago, I had a belief that one day he will go over the 90-meter mark.”
And Nadeem fulfilled the dream more than once in his six attempts in Paris as his final throw came in at a whopping 91.79m, adding more sheen to the Olympic Record effort on his second throw, which earned him the gold.
“I knew I could do it. Even my last throw was over 90 meters because I believed in myself. Hopefully one day I will break the world record,” he grinned.
Read More: ‘Last Hope of Millions of Pakistanis Back Home’ Arshad Nadeem Reflects on Road to Javelin
