Arshad Nadeem attained the history of Pakistan by becoming the first athlete to win the Olympic gold for his country in the 2024 Olympics held in Paris. In as much as the javelin star has received an overwhelming showering of gifts, and in cash and kind, from the government and fellow citizens.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered PKR 150 million (approximately INR 45 million) as a cash reward and the second-highest civilian award, Hilal Imtiaz, for the sports hero. He also pledged PKR 100 million for Nadeem’s coach Salman Iqbal Butt during a dinner hosted in Islamabad in honor of the athlete.
Specifically, focusing on Arshad Nadeem, the Prime Minister congratulated him, saying, “Arshad Nadeem’s success is ample justification that meager resources, difficulties, and challenges are not barriers in the way to becoming successful.” He also revealed about the establishment of Arshad Nadeem High-Performance Academy at Jinnah Stadium to identify a new generation of athletes. Nadeem’s honor also saw the creation of a PKR 1 billion sports endowment fund.
Last week, Nadeem created history by shattering the 48-year-old Olympic record in men’s javelin throwing, which delighted Pakistan. His throw of 92.97m was more than Andreas Thorkildsen’s 90.57m set in 2008 and left behind defending champion Neeraj Chopra (89.45m) in his wake.
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When the boys came back to Nadeem’s house, he was given a hero-like welcome. The people of Pakistan were elated to welcome their newest icon as his flight was met with a water cannon salute at the airport. This was the kind of praise that Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced that Nadeem would be the chief guest on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day.
The federal minister also urged filmmakers to make a movie on this incredible journey of Nadeem from a small town, Mian Channu, to Paris.
It was a historical moment when Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal for a country where the Olympics starved individual success. It evoked happiness, patriotism, and now, huge bonuses for the man who turned improbable into reality with a passion that equals nothing less than an obsession to succeed. He emerged as the new idol of Pakistan in the shortest time possible.
According to Sharif, Nadeem said that his fairytale shows that lack of resources and facilities should not be an impediment to greatness for anyone who dares to dream. And for that very reason, he deserves all the praise, money, and national awards that are being bestowed upon him.