Arshad Nadeem, From Pakistan Age-Group Cricketer To Olympic Champion: When Neeraj Chopra’s Plea Helped Javelin Star
Pakistan have their first gold medallist in Olympics track-and-field event at the Paris Olympics 2024 just like India got their first one at Tokyo Olympics 2021. Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan annihilated the men’s javelin final field and set a new Olympic record with a monstrous throw of 92.27m to win the his first Olympics gold medal.
The only one who got anywhere close was Nadeem’s close friend and admirer – Neeraj Chopra from India. The defending men’s javelin champion from India came up with a 89.45m throw in the final to walk away with a silver medal.
But not a long time ago, Nadeem was even struggling to buy a new javelin for himself. Neeraj Chopra himself had to plead to the Pakistan government to help out his friend from across the border.
“It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics,” Arshad Nadeem had told the media in March this year.
Men’s javelin throw final was BIG
92.97m OR Arshad Nadeem
89.45m @Neeraj_chopra1
88.54m Anderson Peters #Paris2024 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/jPrVZZ6txl— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 8, 2024
When Neeraj Chopra pleaded for Arshad Nadeem
In March 2024, Nadeem revealed that he had been using the same javelin for nearly seven to eight years – unheard of in international sports. “When I started off in 2015, competing in international events, I got this javelin… for an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities,” Nadeem added.
Neeraj Chopra was concerned when he got to know about his friend Nadeem’s condition. “It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all,” Neeraj said.
“Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs. This is a piece of advice from my side,” Neeraj Chopra added.
On Thursday, the 27-year-old from Khanewal village in Punjab region repaid the faith with an Olympic record and country’s first individual gold at the biggest sporting stage on the planet. This was the same Khanewal village which got together to fund Nadeem’s expenses in earlier years when he used to compete in international javelin events.
“People have no idea how Arshad got to this place today. How his fellow villagers and relatives used to donate money so that he could travel to other cities for his training and events in his early days,” his father Muhammad Ashraf told PTI news agency after his qualification to the Olympics finals this week.
Arshad Nadeem played cricket at age-group level
Nadeem, who was Pakistan’s flag-bearer at Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony, played age-group cricket at the state level until he took up throwing sports, starting with shot put and discus. “Not becoming a cricketer was the best thing that happened to me. I wouldn’t be in the Olympics otherwise,” Nadeem said.
Nadeem has been doing well for a long time. He won a silver medal at the World Championship last year and also a gold in the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a 90.18m throw.
The rivalry as well camaraderie between Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem is well known. In the last Olympics in Tokyo, the Indian star won gold for his country while Nadeem finished fifth in final standings.
“There’s no doubt about the cricket rivalry. Now this javelin is also there. People back home in Pakistan and even in India, they were eager to see us both throwing the javelin and beating each other. I’m happy to see Chopra earning silver,” Nadeem said after the final on Thursday.
Nadeem’s effort will ensure that he will go down in the history of athletics as one of the all-time greats and will hopefully inspire an entire nation like Neeraj Chopra managed to do.