Arshad Nadeem is a Pakistani track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. On August 7, 2022, he won the gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Pakistani to win the gold medal in the men’s javelin event at the Games. In addition, he also became the first South Asian to break the 90m mark.
Wiki/Biography
Arshad Nadeem was born on Thursday, January 2, 1997 in Mian Channu, Khanewal Province, Pakistan (26 years old; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. Nadeem’s childhood was spent watching and playing Neza Bazi (tent pegging), a popular village sport in Pakistan in which riders demonstrate their bravery. Nadeem’s father was passionate about Neza Bazi and insisted that he take up the sport. The vast grounds of Mian Channu are where Nadeem practices for Neza Bazi, which exposes him to different outdoor sports. He attended Government High School 102/15-l, Mian Channu. During his school days, he dabbled in various sports including cricket, badminton, football and athletics. Eventually, he developed a passion for cricket which led him to participate in cricket tournaments at the regional level. However, a few years later, Arshad had to choose between cricket and athletics. Nadeem chose track and field at the insistence of his father and brother, both division-level athletes. In an interview, he shared the dilemma of leaving cricket and said:
Giving up cricket was not easy but it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. My father was a working man and we didn’t have the resources or connections required to become professional cricketers. PT at my school [physical training] Teachers Ajmal and Zafar took good care of me and helped me adapt to this change. “
Although he initially pursued the shot put, discus, and javelin in track and field, he later abandoned the discus and shot put and began focusing solely on the javelin. Rasheed Ahmad Saqi took Nadeem on as his apprentice when he was in seventh grade. Apparently, Nadeem caught Thaqi’s attention at a track and field meet; Rashid Ahmed Thaqi had a reputation in Pakistan for nurturing athletes. Finally, Nadeem started competing as a javelin thrower in 2015. He has since won numerous medals in Punjab Youth Days and inter-school competitions and earned invitations to the Pakistan Development Authority (WAPDA) representing leading domestic athletics teams such as Army, Air Force, Hydro. Nadeem was included during the 2015 Pakistan National Championship selections after Syed Fiaz Hussain Bokhari recognized his potential and became his permanent coach Training Camp.
Arshad Nadeem and his coach Syed Fiaz Hussain Bokhari
When Nadeem cleared the 70m barrier at the 2015 National Championships, he earned a spot in the 2016 South Asian Games (SAG) squad and a job with WAPDA at the same time.
appearance
Height (approximately): 6′2″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Arshad Nadeem was born into a Muslim family.
Parents and siblings
His father Muhammad Ashraf was a contract mason. Nadeem has four brothers, of whom he is the eldest. Like Nadeem, one of his younger brothers is also a javelin thrower. The name of one of his brothers is Alim.
Arshad Nadim’s father
Arshad Nadeem with his mother and brother
Ashad Nadim’s brother
Arshad Nadeem and his brother Aleem
wife and children
Ashad Nadeem is married and has a son.
Arshad Nadeem’s wife and son
medal
gold
- 2019 National Games (Peshawar) Throwing score 83.65
- 2019 South Asian Games (Kathmandu) Throw 86.29 m (South Asian Games record and national record)
- 2021 Imam Reza Cup (Mashhad), throwing distance 86.38 m (national record)
- 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham), throwing distance 90.18 m (Commonwealth Games record and national record)
Gold medalist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan (centre), silver medalist Anderson Peters of Grenada (left) and bronze medalist Julius Yego of Kenya at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham)
bronze
- 2016 South Asian Games (Guwahati) Throw 78.33 m (National Record)
2016 South Asian Games (Guwahati), India’s gold medalist Neeraj Chopra (centre), silver medalist Sri Lanka’s DS Ranasinghe (left) and bronze medalist Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem
- 2016 Asian Youth Athletics Championships (Ho Chi Minh City) 73.40 m
- 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games (Baku) Throw 76.33 m
Arshad Nadeem at Islamic Solidarity Games 2017 (Baku)
- 2018 Asian Games (Jakarta) Throw 80.75 m (national record)
Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra of India (center), silver medalist Liu Qizhen of China (left) and bronze medalist Asad Nadeem of Pakistan (right) at the 2018 Asian Games (Jakarta)
Facts/Trivia
- He first met his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra at SAG 2016 in Guwahati. At that time, Neeraj, like Arshad, was an 18-year-old soon-to-be athlete. A friendly rivalry ensued between the athletes, which fans witnessed throughout the rest of the game. At the 2019 South Asian Games, Nadeem broke the national record with a throw of 86.29 m, surpassing Chopra’s 2016 meet record by 4 meters, and won a gold medal. In an interview after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Neeraj Chopra said that his javelin was carried by Nadeem before the final. However, this claim is exaggerated as many believe that Nadeem may have tampered with Neeraj’s javelin. Neeraj has since appealed against unnecessary publicity through his Twitter account, citing the fact that athletes often use individual javelins against each other.
- He was the only athlete to represent Pakistan at the 2019 World Athletics Championships (Doha). Although he broke the national record with a throw of 81.52m, he still missed the finals.
- His performance of 86.29m at the 2019 South Asian Games ensured him direct qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo) and became Pakistan’s only athlete to directly qualify for the Olympics.
- The Pakistan Athletics Federation (AFP) sent Arshad to Nanjing, China, for two months of training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but the trip was cut short due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he became the first Pakistani to qualify for the Olympic finals in athletics.
- Witnessing Nadeem’s outstanding performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, his father recalled in an interview that after Nadeem qualified for the Olympics, he trained in the courtyard and streets of his home and received no support from the Pakistani government. Any financial aid. He also said that the cost of sending Nadeem to Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore for practice was entirely borne by him.
- On August 4, 2021, he qualified for the men’s javelin throw final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This made him the only track and field athlete from the country to directly qualify for the Olympics and the first Pakistani to qualify for the finals of an Olympic track and field event.
- He rose to fame on August 7, 2022, when he became the first Pakistani to win a gold medal in the men’s javelin event at the Commonwealth Games. This also made him the first South Asian to break the 90m mark.
What a brilliant performance by Arshad Nadeem!
He won Pakistan’s first track and field gold medal in 60 years and set a new Olympic record.
congratulations @NOCPPakistan 👏🏾#CommonwealthGames2022 | #B2022 pic.twitter.com/6H5YlKxeLg
— Commonwealth Sports (@thecgf) August 7, 2022
- According to his father Muhammad Ashraf, Arshad Nadeem often watches Neeraj Chopra’s videos on his mobile phone to draw inspiration from his games.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education