‘What will the government do?’: Arshad Nadeem’s father emotional response to son’s historic Olympic gold | Olympics

Arshad Nadeem’s monumental gold medal at the Paris Olympics has added a new chapter in the history of both Pakistan sport and in javelin throw itself. Arshad shattered the Olympic record to keep India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra at bay and hence become the first from his country to win an individual Olympic gold.

His is also the first Olympic gold medal for Pakistan since the men’s hockey team’s last gold that came at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Arshad had famously beaten a number of odds to just get to the Olympics, being largely been on his own his endeavours, despite establishing himself as one of the best in the game over the last five years.

Arshad’s father Muhammad Ashraf is a former construction worker and said that he has nothing to ask of the Pakistan government as they haven’t done much for his son in the past. “What will the government do? I am still alive. I will support my son as long as I am alive,” Arshad’s father told local media. “I’ve been working as a labour for the past 36 years. Never stole a single penny. I have done everything with legitimate earnings, thanks to the almighty.”

Arshad even arranged for his travel for the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and returned fifth in the men’s javelin final – the first from Pakistan to do so at the Games. His towering achievements at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, where he took the gold medal by becoming the first Asian to breach the 90m mark and then the historic silver at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, were just about enough for Pakistan government to sponsor his air tickets for Paris Olympics 2024. Nadeem was the only Pakistan athlete who got his travel sponsored by the government for this year’s Games.