Olympics 2024: File photo of Arshad Nadeem© AFP
Arshad Nadeem ended a long drought for Pakistan at the Olympics 2024. The last time the country won a medal at the Olympics was in 1992 edition. Javelin thrower Nadeem ended the long wait with an Olympic record of 92.97m. to take home the gold medal ahead of India's Neeraj Chopra, who won the silver with his season best throw of 89.45m. After the Olympic feat, Arshad Nadeem has been showered with cash prizes but there was a time when he struggled for funds.
Despite finishing a creditable fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and winning the gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Nadeem often struggled for funds. He even won a silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Despite that, he had to ask for donations to buy a new javelin ahead of the Paris Games. According to The Nation, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stepped in to sponsor him that helped him with his training, equipment.
Since returning home with Pakistan's first gold in the Olympics since 1984, Nadeem has been showered with cash prizes worth around 280 million, cars and other gifts. In the latest instance, the Governor Punjab on Saturday gave him a cash prize of two million rupees and a car.
But beyond such personal gifts, Nadeem wanted the government to fulfil his request for a modernised track and field stadium and a university for women in his hometown – Mian Channu.
"We badly need facilities for our women and even men to acquire higher education in our area and nowadays young athletes need to be given the best facilities," Nadeem said on the ARY news channel.
Nadeem, who appeared on the show with his wife Rashida, was also asked about the buffalo gifted to him by his father-in-law for winning the Olympic gold medal.
The 27-year-old replied in half-jest. “I was a bit surprised with the announcement and I wondered since my father-in-law is a very rich person and has a lot of land…if only he had given me 4-5 acres of farm land instead of the buffalo,” he said with a smile.