Dozens of villagers gathered in front of the modest home of Pakistan athlete Arshad Nadeem to watch him compete in the Olympic Games final late Thursday (8). The event was shown live on a digital projector, with the image displayed on a screen hanging from a truck in his farming village near Mian Channu in Punjab province.
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As Nadeem threw the javelin to a new Olympic record and won a gold medal in Paris, the villagers cheered loudly from thousands of kilometers away. “He did a great throw and created history. We are proud of him,” said Nadeem’s 35-year-old brother, Muhammad Azeem.
Men danced to drumbeats and clapped while chanting slogans as the victory became clear. Women gathered around a small TV inside Nadeem’s home to watch the event. His mother, Raziah Parveen, said, “He had promised me that he would play well, go abroad, win a medal, and make Pakistan proud.”
Despite practicing with old equipment and limited access to gyms, Nadeem secured Pakistan’s first Olympic gold medal in 32 years. “He belongs to Mian Channu. He belongs to a small village and raised the Pakistani national flag at the international level,” said Rasheed Ahmed, Nadeem’s former coach who first saw his talent.
Nadeem, 27, is the third of eight siblings and was initially interested in cricket. His older brother, Shahid Nadeem, said, “I made Arshad switch from playing cricket to javelin at a time when no one knew what the javelin was. He took that stick to the Olympics, set a new record, and won gold.”
Retired local sports official Parvaiz Ahmed Dogar described the challenges in getting professional training for Nadeem. “The athletes used to use wooden sticks with a rope tied around it as a javelin. Those wouldn’t even land on the tip,” Dogar recalled. Pakistan lacks a dedicated track and field ground, so athletes train on cricket fields.
In March, Nadeem revealed he had only one javelin, which was damaged after seven years of use. Speaking after his win, Nadeem said, “When I threw the javelin, I got the feel of it leaving my hand and sensed it could be an Olympic record.” Back in Mian Channu, the locals cheered in agreement.
