“He used to play in the village fields. God took him to the Olympics,” Shahid Nadeem, brother of Pakistan’s first Olympic track and field gold medalist, Arshad Nadeem, said over the phone, his voice tired from giving back-to-back interviews to the media since his brother’s historic win in Paris.
Arshad Nadeem’s 92.97-meter (305-feet) javelin throw Thursday at the Paris Games set an Olympic record. It ended Pakistan’s 40-year-long wait for a gold medal at the global sports extravaganza and made him the first Pakistani to bring home gold in an individual Olympic event.
To give his crisis-riddled country a much-needed reason to celebrate, Nadeem didn’t just have to master the art of throwing the javelin. The son of a construction worker had to do so without facilities or funding.
“Don’t even ask about the difficulties,” the star athlete’s brother told VOA from their home in a village in Punjab province.
“There’s no hospital near us or [sports] ground or gym. Despite no facilities, Arshad promised himself he would bring the medal. God chose him from among millions,” Shahid Nadeem said.
Living with limited means, the athlete’s family of construction workers built him a cemented area for exercise by their home. To throw the javelin, his brother said, Nadeem would go into the open fields.
“God had given him a lot of physical strength. That is why he moved ahead. He’s very strong. He used that power,” Shahid Nadeem said.
With power and perseverance, Nadeem began bagging medals at the international level in 2016.
He entered the Paris Olympics buoyed by a silver medal from last year’s World Athletics Championships in Hungary but burdened by a loss at the previous Olympics. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Nadeem finished in 5th place with a best attempt of 84.62 meters (277.6 feet) — more than eight meters short of his record-breaking performance Thursday.
In Paris, Pakistan’s Nadeem beat India’s Neeraj Chopra, who won the silver medal. As the two athletes celebrated, spectators got another memorable moment — a Pakistani and an Indian athlete hugging each other.
The two athletes have competed hard on the field. Off the field, the two have struck up a friendship many find endearing given the rivalry between the two nations.
Speaking to Indian media Friday, Chopra’s mother, elated at her son’s silver medal, said Nadeem was “also our son.”
Nadeem’s brother reciprocated the sentiment.
“Neeraj Chopra is our brother. He made a good throw, but it was Arshad’s day,” Shahid Nadeem told VOA. “This is part of the game. … We are happy that the two players from Asia have made it to the victory stand.”
Earlier this year, when Nadeem revealed that he needed help getting a new javelin, Chopra amplified his call.
Chopra, who won the gold medal last year in Hungary also quickly quashed rumors at the time that Nadeem had tried to sabotage him. His mother was miffed when reporters asked her if she was glad that her son had beaten a Pakistani.
In cricket-crazy Pakistan, Nadeem’s win has also drawn attention to the country’s poor performance in other sports.
“We could never have imagined winning a [Olympic] gold medal in an individual sport. Arshad Nadeem’s victory will be remembered for a hundred years,” said former Pakistani athlete Shahbaz Ahmad. Known by his nickname Shahbaz Senior, he was part of the field hockey team that brought home a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Field hockey is Pakistan’s national sport, but the country has been failing to qualify for the Olympics since 2012.
“Arshad’s win shows there’s no shortage of talent in Pakistan, but the money is not being spent well,” Ahmad said.
Some are also criticizing the involvement of Pakistan’s powerful military in sports administration. From 2004 to January 2024, a former three-star general led the Pakistan Olympic Association. The country did not win any Olympic medals in that time.
Shahid Islam, deputy director general of Pakistan Sports Board, told VOA that contrary to the common perception, the government has consistently supported Nadeem. According to the record shared by Islam with VOA, Nadeem has received more than $80,000 since 2019 in prize money and for medical treatment.
“He is a great athlete, I endorse that. He should get even more [money] than this,” Islam said. “But this perception that the government didn’t support him [is wrong].”
The sports official said Nadeem’s statement about the javelin was misconstrued, because the government sponsors the athlete’s kit, as well as his foreign travel and lodging.
Closer to this year's Olympics, Nadeem made sponsorship deals with Toyota and Pakistani telecom company PTCL.
Now, some elected officials have pledged thousands of dollars in gift money for the star while others have announced naming sports facilities after him.
The athlete’s family says they will give a welcome home party to remember.
“When he comes back, you will see, God willing, how we welcome him,” Shahid Nadeem said. “We will give him every happiness we can.”
