Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem PP OLY (Punjabi / Urdu: ارشد ندیم; Punjabi pronunciation: [ˈɐrʃəd nɐˈdiːm]; born 2 January 1997) is a Pakistani javelin thrower.[1] He is the reigning Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion. He is also the current silver medalist in the World Athletics Championship. He set an Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 metres (305.0 ft) at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
He is a two-time Olympian,[3] and the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event at the Olympic Games[4] and the World Athletics Championships.[5]
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he set a new national and Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 90.18 m (295.9 ft) and became the first athlete from South Asia to breach the 90 m mark.[6] In the 2023 World Athletics Championships, he became the first Pakistani athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships, a silver.[7] He represents the Water and Power Development Authority in the National Games of Pakistan.[8]
Early life
Arshad Nadeem was born into a Punjabi Muslim family in Mian Channu, in the Punjab province of Pakistan.[9] The family belongs to the Jat community.[10][11] He is the third-oldest among eight siblings.[9] Nadeem was an exceptionally versatile athlete from his early school years. Though he dabbled in all the sports on offer in his school — cricket, badminton, football and athletics — his passion was cricket, and he soon found himself playing it at district-level tape-ball tournaments.[12] Upon entering grade seven in school, Nadeem caught the eye of Rasheed Ahmad Saqi during an athletics competition. Saqi had a history of developing sportspeople in the division, and began training Nadeem soon afterwards.[13][14]
Before settling on javelin throw, Nadeem also pursued shot put and discus throw. Gold medals in the javelin throw in successive Punjab Youth Festivals and an inter-board meet propelled him on to the national stage, bringing offers from all the leading domestic departmental teams, including the athletics sections of the Pakistan Army, Air Force and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).[13] It was his father, Muhammad Ashraf, who persuaded him to take up the sport of javelin throwing.[15] Nadeem actually aspired to become a full-time cricketer, but he changed his mind and shifted his focus to athletics as he first picked up the javelin in 2015; Nadeem himself acknowledged that it was "the best thing that happened" to him.[16]
Career
Early years (2015 – 2019)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Arshad_Nadeem_at_2016_South-Asian_Games.jpg)
Arshad Nadeem started competing in javelin competitions in 2015. In 2016, he received a scholarship from World Athletics, which made him eligible to train at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius.[12]
In February 2016, Nadeem won the bronze medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, India, setting a national record and his personal best at 78.33 m.[17]
In June 2016, Nadeem won the bronze medal at the 17th Asian Junior Athletics Championship, held in Ho Chi Minh City.[18]
In May 2017, Nadeem won a bronze medal with a throw of 76.33 m at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.[19] In April 2018, he set a new personal best of 80.45 m in the qualification round of the Commonwealth Games,[20] held in Gold Coast, Australia, and finished eighth.[21] He also sustained a back injury following the end of 2018 Commonwealth Games.[12] In August 2018, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he set a new personal best and national record of 80.75 m.[22]
As the only Pakistani athlete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships[23] in Doha, Qatar, Nadeem achieved a new personal best and national record of 81.52 m.[24] In November 2019, Nadeem broke the national record again when he recorded an 83.65 m throw to win gold for WAPDA at the 33rd National Games in Peshawar.[25] In December 2019, he won a gold medal with an 86.29 m games record throw at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal.[26]
Olympics and international success (2021 – present day)
2020 Tokyo Olympics
Nadeem made his debut at the Olympics, representing Pakistan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held in Tokyo in 2021. He became the first Pakistani track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics.[27][28] His father stated that Nadeem was not provided with a good training ground facility prior to competing at the Olympics.[29] Nadeem trained in his home's courtyard and on the streets, and is believed to have not received any financial assistance from the Government of Pakistan after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.[15] Nadeem has openly spoken about the extreme difficulties of non-cricket sportspeople in Pakistan, who are largely ignored and neglected by sports officials.
On 4 August 2021, he qualified for the men's javelin throw event final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[30][31] He became the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any Olympic track and field event.[32][33] He finished fifth in the men's javelin throw with a throw of 84.62 m.[34][35]
2022 World Athletics Championships
From March 2022, until the start of the world championships, Nadeem trained in South Africa under the supervision of coach Terseus Liebenberg.[36] The training was arranged by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP).[37][38]
In July 2022, Nadeem participated in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, US, as the sole representative from Pakistan. He finished fifth in the final with a throw of 86.16 m.[39]
2022 Commonwealth Games: Gold medal and Commonwealth Games record
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Arshad_Nadeem.jpg/220px-Arshad_Nadeem.jpg)
On 7 August 2022, Nadeem won a gold medal for Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Despite being injured, he set a games record with his throw of 90.18 m on his fifth attempt, surpassing world champion Anderson Peters' 88.64 m, becoming the first South Asian to surpass the 90 m mark.[6][40] This was Pakistan's first athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.[41]
2022 Islamic Games: Gold medal
Five days later, on 12 August 2022, Nadeem won another gold medal for Pakistan at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games. He broke the games record with his throw of 88.55 m.[42]
In November 2022, Nadeem won the gold medal in the javelin throw, with a toss of 81.21 m, at the 50th National Athletics Championship in Lahore.[43]
Elbow and knee injury (Late 2022)
Nadeem left for the UK on 1 December 2022 to get treatment on his injured elbow and knee joint. The AFP arranged for him to be treated at Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital. After a ten-day rehabilitation and physiotherapy period, full recovery took a further four to six weeks.[44]
2023 Pakistan National Games and knee injury
Nadeem participated in the National Games of Pakistan and won a gold medal. However, he suffered a knee injury, which ruled him out of the Asian Athletics Championships. AFP president Akram Sahi blamed WAPDA for forcing Nadeem to participate in the National Games.[45][46]
2023 World Athletics Championships: Silver medal
Nadeem won a silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with a throw of 87.82 m. This was Pakistan's first ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.[47] He also secured qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics during the event.[48]
2024 Paris Diamond League
In July 2024, Nadeem finished in fourth place in the Paris Diamond League with a 84.21m throw on his fifth attempt.[49]
2024 Paris Olympics: Gold medal and Olympic record
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Nadeem became the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event in Olympics history and to win an Olympic gold medal.[50] He is also the first Pakistani athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for an individual sport.[51] He not only claimed the men's javelin throw title but set a new Olympic record of 92.97 m in the final.[52] The previous Olympic record holder was Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen, who achieved 90.57 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[53] Nadeem's throw is the sixth-longest throw ever.[54] Nadeem won Pakistan’s first Olympic medal since 1992, and their first Olympic gold medal since 1984.[55] Prior to the 2024 Olympics, Nadeem was considered as an underdog by many critics.[16] His throw of 92.97 m was also confirmed by officials as the longest throw in the world by any male javelin thrower in the current season. He was only the fourth athlete to breach the 90 m mark in the javelin final in the history of Olympics, a feat he achieved twice, in his second and final throw.[56]
On 11 August 2024, Nadeem would be honored with a parade in Lahore.[51]
Personal life
Arshad Nadeem is married and has a daughter and a son. He is a devout Muslim.[57]
Nadeem describes himself as an introvert.[3] His coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, a former national-level discus thrower, remembered him as a very respectful and obedient athlete who bowed his head as he listened to his coach's words. "He is Zen-like. He is quiet. He is focused, and no matter the setback, he does not let it linger. This is one of the most incredible things about Nadeem, and you cannot really teach it either," his coach said.[3]
International competitions
- NR−National record
- GR−Games record
- q−Qualification round
- SB− Season's best
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | South Asian Games | Guwahati, India | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 78.33 m |
Asian Junior Athletics Championships | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 73.40 m | |
World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 30th (q) | Javelin throw | 67.17 m | |
2017 | Islamic Solidarity Games | Baku, Azerbaijan | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 76.33 m |
Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar, India | 7th | Javelin throw | 78.00 m | |
2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 8th | Javelin throw | 76.02 m |
Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 80.75 m | |
2019 | Asian Championships | Doha, Qatar | 6th | Javelin throw | 78.55 m |
World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 16th (q) | Javelin throw | 81.52 m NR | |
South Asian Games | Kathmandu, Nepal | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 86.29 m GR NR | |
2021 | Imam Reza Cup | Mashhad, Iran | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 86.38 m NR |
Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | Javelin throw | 84.62 m | |
2022 | World Championships | Eugene, Oregon, United States | 5th | Javelin throw | 86.16 m |
Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, England | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 90.18 m GR NR | |
Islamic Solidarity Games | Konya, Turkey | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 88.55 m GR | |
2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 87.82 m SB |
2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | ![]() |
Javelin throw | 92.97 m OR |
Seasonal bests by year
Year | Performance | Place | Date[1] |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | 70.46 metres | Islamabad, Pakistan | 3 April |
2016 | 78.33 metres | Guwahati, India | 10 February |
2017 | 78 metres | Bhubaneswar, India | 9 July |
2018 | 80.75 metres | Jakarta, Indonesia | 27 August |
2019 | 86.29 metres (GR) | Kathmandu, Nepal | 7 December |
2021 | 86.38 metres | Mashhad, Iran | 12 April |
2022 | 90.18 metres (GR) | Birmingham, England | 7 August |
2023 | 87.82 metres | Budapest, Hungary | 27 August |
2024 | 92.97 metres (OR) | Paris, France | 8 August |
Awards and recognition
He was presented a Pride of Performance Award in 2022 by the President of Pakistan.[58]
See also
- List of Pakistani records in athletics
- Athletics in Pakistan
- Pakistan at the Olympics
- Pakistan at the World Athletics Championships
References
- ^ a b c d e "World Athletics Profile". Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ Hussain, Abid (4 August 2024). "Meet Pakistan's Olympic javelin thrower". Al Jazeera.
[...] the broad-chested, 1.92m-tall (6ft-3-inch-tall) athlete [...]
- ^ a b c Hussain, Abid. "'I compete against myself': Meet Pakistan's Olympic javelin thrower". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem — from Mian Channu to Pakistan's hope for Olympic glory". dawn.com. 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships: Arshad makes history, qualifies for final". Express Tribune. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ a b Desk, The Bridge (8 August 2022). "Watch: Arshad Nadeem becomes first South Asian to breach 90m mark". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Arhsad Nadeem becomes first Pakistani to win silver medal at World Athletics Championship". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem wins gold as Army, WAPDA dominate National Athletics Championship". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ a b Sharma, Nitin (9 August 2022). "I didn't want him to be a mason like me, says Arshad Nadeem's father after son's 90.18 m javelin CWG gold medal". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem Interview". Reddit. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Tamta, Prashant (6 August 2024). "Who is Arshad Nadeem, the main challenger of Neeraj Chopra in Paris Olympics?". DNA India. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
Born into a Punjabi Jat family in Pakistan's Punjab, he is the third-oldest among eight siblings. Nadeem made his debut at the Olympics at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held in 2021.
- ^ a b c "Athletics – Nadeem Arshad". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ a b Goheer, Taha (19 July 2020). "ATHLETICS: THE SPEAR OF HOPE". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem: Son Of Construction Worker, Who Struggled To Buy Food, Is Now Pakistan's Olympic Hero". NDTV.
- ^ a b "Olympic finalist Arshad Nadeem did not even have a ground to practice, claims father". Geo.tv. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ a b Saifi, Samra Zulfaqar, Sophia (9 August 2024). "Pakistan celebrates its first Olympic medal in decades as javelin hero breaks Games record". CNN. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Arshad Nadeem — from Mian Channu to winning gold at CWG". DAWN. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Arshad wins bronze at Asian Junior Athletics". The News International. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Arshad claims javelin bronze for Pakistan in Baku". Dawn. 20 May 2017. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem qualifies for javelin final at Commonwealth Games". Geo News. 13 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Arshad finishes eighth in javelin throw". The News International. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Nadeem Arshad wins bronze for Pakistan in Asian Games". The News International. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Only one Pakistani athlete to compete in Doha". Dawn. 17 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Javelin Throw Series Result | IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019 | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem, Maria Maratab set new national records". The News International. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "South Asian Games: Pakistan add four gold medals, takes tally to 24". Geo News. 7 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Hometown celebrates Arshad's qualification". The Nation. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Pakistani athletes Arshad Nadeem, Najma Parveen off to Tokyo for Olympics 2020". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem, Olympic javelin finalist, practiced with no ground, says fath". www.geosuper.tv. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Pakistan's javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem makes history". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan's last Olympics medal hope, qualifies for javelin throw final". Brecorder. Reuters. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ Ramesh, Akshay (7 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Eyes on India-Pakistan rivalry on thrilling day as Neeraj Chopra eyes historic javelin medal". India Today. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Who is Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem? Meet Neeraj Chopra's challenger in Javelin Throw final at Tokyo Olympics". www.timesnownews.com. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem misses out on medal but wins nation over". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Javelin throw at Tokyo Olympics: Arshad Nadeem misses out on medal, finishes 5th". dawn.com. 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem satisfied with training in South Africa". The News International. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Pakistan javelin-thrower Arshad flies to South Africa for training". ASports.tv. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Pakistan's star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem to get training in South Africa". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem finishes fifth in World Championships javelin final". Business Recorder. 24 July 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem won gold medal, made history at Commonwealth Games 2022". 7 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan celebrates Arshad Nadeem's Gold in Commonwealth Games 2022". Geo Super. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem Bags Another Gold At 2022 Islamic Games In Konya". 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem wins gold as Army, WAPDA dominate National Athletics Championship". Geo Super. 27 November 2022. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem leaves for UK for treatment". 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "Injured Arshad Nadeem ruled out of Asian Athletics Championship". nation.com.pk. 22 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "New injury rules Arshad out of Asian Athletics". thenews.com.pk. 22 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Arshad Nadeem wins silver medal for Pakistan at World Athletics Championship". The News International. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ Siddique, Imran (25 August 2023). "Javelin star Arshad Nadeem qualifies for Paris Olympics, World Athletics Championships final". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ Engineer, Anushe (8 July 2024). "Arshad Nadeem 'pleased' with fourth place finish at Paris Diamond League". DAWN. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Jan, Paras. "2024 Paris Olympics: Arshad Nadeem Wins First-Ever Olympic Gold For Pakistan With An Olympic Record". Forbes. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ a b Yam, Kimmy (12 August 2024). "Pakistan's first individual gold medalist, whose village helped fund Olympic path, returns a hero". NBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Adil, Kevin Hand,Hafsa. "Record-breaking Arshad Nadeem ends Pakistan's 32-year Olympic medal drought". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Top 10 Javelin Throws in Olympics History: Arshad Nadeem Sets New Record at Paris 2024 - myKhel".
- ^ Engineer, Anushe (8 August 2024). "Javelin star Arshad Nadeem ends Pakistan's 40-year wait for Olympic gold". DAWN.
- ^ Syed, Armani (9 August 2024). "Why Arshad Nadeem's Olympic Gold for Pakistan is Significant". TIME. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ Topping, Alexandra (8 August 2024). "Arshad Nadeem throws his way into history for Pakistan with javelin gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Raheel, Natasha (27 August 2022). "Arshad Nadeem's 'divine' journey of javelin throw records". Karachi. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ Lakhani, Faizan (14 August 2022). "Arshad Nadeem, Nooh Dastagir Butt to receive Pride of Performance". The News. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)