Arshad Nadeem in action© AFP
Pakistan athlete Arshad Nadeem has been grabbing a lot of limelight for all the good reasons as he clinched the gold medal in the Men's Javelin Throw event at the Paris Olympics 2024. Nadeem edged past the defending champion and India star Neeraj Chopra with his monster throw of 92.97m in his second attempt on Thursday (IST). While Chopra settled for silver with his throw of 89.45m, Nadeem became Pakistan's first individual gold medalist at the Olympics. However, Nadeem's journey to reach the Olympic podium was not an easy one as the star athlete faced numerous struggles.
Son of a construction worker, Nadeem had to go through a tough time to even fulfill his family's basic needs. Recently, Pakistan Cricket League franchise Multan Sultans' owner, businessman Ali Tareen revealed that his company supported Nadeem on its own, without the athlete making any appeal for help.
"We started supporting him earlier this year. The main goal was to give him a reliable regular income so he didn't have to worry about running his household between tournaments. It's a long-term commitment regardless of tournament participation, performance or injuries," The Indian Express quoted Tareen as saying.
"I work with a lot of underprivileged athletes. And the stress of providing for their family on a monthly basis is a huge stress and is always at the back of their mind. Arshad never made an appeal for funding. His statement was taken out of context. We reached out to him ourselves," he added.
Talking about the awards, Nadeem is set to receive a grand amount of more than PKR 150 million (more than INR 4.5 crore and USD 538,000).
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.