Olympics 2024: Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem© AFP
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem - that is one javelin rivalry that will be closely followed in years to come. The two stars almost had a same career trajectory since they started competing at the senior level, winning medals at the global level in a discipline that was largely dominated by Europeans before. But now, the top two javelin throwers in the world hail from South Asia. The rivalry got another boost at the Paris Olympics 2024, with Arshad winning the gold and Neeraj the silver.
The defending Olympic champion, Neeraj, threw a season best 89.45m but Arshad came up with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m. In fact, Nadeem's last throw of the javelin throw final was also above 91m. Thus, Nadeem won Pakistan's first ever individual gold at Olympics.
Between the two, Neeraj has always been the one who has received more backing from their respective government as well as corporates.
Neeraj, who shot to fame after a world record at the U-20 level, saw his net worth rise after his heroics at the global level. He was a gold medallist at the 2023 World Championships and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
According to a report in GQ India, his net worth is $ 4.5 million (Rs 37 crore approximately). He endorses top brands like Omega, Under Armour, and others.
Compared to that, Nadeem's net worth was much less before the Olympics. Many reports claimed it to be below Rs (INR) 1 crore.
However, after his gold medal, Arshad's net worth is bound to rise. While there is no concrete figure. A list of all the monetary prize that he has received gives a fair idea about what his net worth is now. Going by the official announcement, he has received of 153 million Pakistan rupees in cash prizes after the Olympics.
Out of this amount, the Chief Minister of the Pakistan state of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has announced a reward of PKR 100 million for Nadeem, according to Pakistan-based news outlet Dawn. Punjab governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has announced a further PKR 2 million reward.
PKR 50 million will be awarded to Nadeem by the Chief Minister of Sindh, with Karachi mayor Murtaza Wahab having been quoted on it. Sindh governor Kamran Tessori also announced a PKR 1 million more.
Popular Pakistani singer Ali Zafar has confirmed that he will be giving PKR 1 million to Nadeem, while cricketer Ahmad Shahzad has also awarded the same amount through his foundation.