Pakistan is basking in the glory of its first Olympic gold medal in 40 years, won by javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem at the Paris Games. The nation celebrated his historic achievement by showering him with generous rewards and honors.
On Tuesday, Punjab’s Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz visited Nadeem’s humble village home in Mian Channu district and presented him with a cheque of 100 million rupees ($359,000). To further commemorate his record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters in Paris, which shattered the previous Olympic record, Nawaz also handed him the keys to a brand new car with a special registration number: “PAK 92.97”.
Nadeem’s coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, was also recognized for his contribution to the athlete’s success with a 5 million rupees ($18,000) reward.
Last Thursday, Nadeem’s record-breaking throw sparked celebrations across Pakistan. He surpassed the previous Olympic mark of 90.57 meters set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008, leaving India’s Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo champion, behind with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters for silver.
“Arshad Nadeem has brought unprecedented happiness to the nation,” Nawaz expressed in a statement.
Nadeem’s victory marked the first Olympic gold for Pakistan since the men’s field hockey team triumphed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Pakistan’s last medal of any kind was a field hockey bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
“The heights that parents’ prayers take a person to,” Nawaz said in her post on X (formerly Twitter) while sharing a picture of Nadeem and his mother Razia Parveen.
On Tuesday evening, Nadeem and his family were flown to Islamabad on a special flight from Multan to attend a reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In recognition of his historic achievement, the Pakistani government issued a special postage stamp featuring Nadeem with his javelin, commemorating Pakistan’s Independence Day, which will be celebrated on Wednesday. The nation continues to celebrate their champion, recognizing the immense pride he has brought to Pakistan with his Olympic gold.
