Arshad Nadeem wins Javelin Gold: How a whole Pakistan village collected money to send him to the Olympics

The story of Arshad Nadeem, who gave Pakistan its first Olympics medal after 32 years, is as spectacular as his 92.7 meter throw in the Javelin final.

Nadeem's journey is celebrated not because of institutional support but despite the lack thereof. When he took up javelin, Nadeem reportedly did not have much money. According to his father, Muhammad Ashraf, people pooled money so that he can train.

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“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 revealed.

Nadeem, 27, on Thursday secured Pakistan's first gold medal. It was also the country's third medal after one in wrestling in Rome 1960 and one in boxing in Seoul 1988.

Earlier this year, when Nadeem appealed for a new javelin for training, Neeraj Chopra supported his cause on social media, highlighting the sportsmanship between the two athletes. Nadeem’s career has notably progressed since his emergence on the scene, despite the challenges he has faced, including elbow, knee, and back issues that necessitated knee surgery last year.

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Despite lacking top facilities and equipment available to athletes in other countries, Nadeem has managed to shift some focus from cricket to athletics in Pakistan.

Pakistan Villagers Celebrate After Gold

Dozens of villagers gathered outside the modest home of Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem to watch the javelin thrower compete in the Olympic Games final late Thursday. The event was shown live via a digital projector on a screen set up on the back of a truck in his farming village near Mian Channu in Punjab province.

Men celebrated by dancing to the beat of a drum, while others clapped and chanted slogans as it became apparent that Nadeem had won.

Despite using outdated equipment and lacking access to proper gyms and training facilities, Nadeem secured Pakistan's first Olympic gold medal in 32 years.

The 27-year-old Nadeem, the son of a retired construction worker and the third of eight siblings, was initially drawn to cricket like many Pakistanis. With no dedicated track and field facilities in Pakistan, athletes often train on cricket fields.

In March, Nadeem disclosed that he had been using a single, damaged javelin for the past seven years.