Arshad Nadeem

Arshad Nadeem (Punjabi and Urdu: ارشد ندیم; born January 2, 1997) is a Pakistani javelin thrower.[1] He represents WAPDA in the domestic competition. He is the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event at the Olympic Games[4] and the World Athletics Championships.[5] At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he created a new national and Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 90.18m and became the first ever athlete from South Asia to breach the 90m mark.[6]

Arshad Nadeem
Personal information
Full nameArshad Nadeem
Born (1997-01-02) 2 January 1997
Mian Channu, Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan[1]
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Rank5[2]
Event(s)Javelin throw
Coached byTerseus Liebenberg
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking5 (achieved on 24 January 2023)[3]
Personal best(s)NR 90.18 m (2022)[1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Pakistan
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Commonwealth Games 1 – –
Asian Games – – 1
Islamic Solidarity Games 1 – 1
South Asian Games 1 – 1
Imam Reza Cup 1 – –
Asian Junior Championships – – 1
Total 4 0 4
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamJavelin throw
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2018 JakartaJavelin throw
Islamic Solidarity Games
Gold medal – first place2021 KonyaJavelin throw
Bronze medal – third place2017 BakuJavelin throw
South Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2019 KathmanduJavelin throw
Bronze medal – third place2016 Guwahati and ShillongJavelin throw
Imam Reza Cup
Gold medal – first place2021 MashhadJavelin throw
Asian Junior Athletics Championships
Bronze medal – third place2016 Ho Chi Minh CityJavelin throw
Updated on 12 August 2022.

Early life

Arshad Nadeem was born into a Punjabi family in Mian Channu, Khanewal, Punjab.[7] He is the third-oldest among eight siblings.[7] Arshad was an exceptionally versatile athlete from his early school years. Though he dabbled in all the sports on offer in his school — cricket, badminton, football and athletics — his passion was cricket and he soon found himself playing it at district-level tape-ball tournaments.[8] Upon entering grade seven in school, Arshad caught the eye of Rasheed Ahmad Saqi during an athletics competition. Saqi had a history of developing sportspeople in the division, and took Arshad under his wing soon afterwards.[9]

Before settling on javelin throw, Arshad also pursued shot put and discus throw. Gold medals in javelin throw in successive Punjab Youth Festivals and an inter-board meet propelled him on to the national stage, bringing offers from all the leading domestic athletics teams, including Army, Air Force and WAPDA.[9] It was his father Muhammad Ashraf who persuaded him to take up the sport of javelin throw.[10]

Personal life

Arshad Nadeem is married with two children, a daughter and a son. He is a practicing Muslim.[11]

Career

Beginning

Arshad Nadeem started competing in javelin throw events in 2015. In 2016, he received a scholarship from World Athletics which made him eligible to train at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius.[8]

In May 2017, Nadeem won a bronze medal with a best throw of 76.33 metres at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.[12] In April 2018, he set a new personal best of 80.45 metres in the qualification round of the javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia. He also sustained a back injury following the end of 2018 Commonwealth Games.[8] In August 2018, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he set a new personal best and national record of 80.75m.[13]

As the only Pakistani athlete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships[14] in Doha, Qatar, Nadeem achieved a new personal best and national record of 81.52m.[15] In November 2019, Nadeem set a national record when he recorded an 83.65 metre throw to win gold for WAPDA at the 33rd National Games in Peshawar.[16] In December 2019, he won a gold medal with an 86.29 metre games record throw at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal.[17]

2021: 2020 Olympics

He made his debut appearance at the Olympics representing Pakistan at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In doing so, he became the first ever Pakistani track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics.[18][19] His father stated that Arshad was not even provided with a good training ground facility prior to competing at the Olympics.[20] Arshad underwent training in his own house's courtyards and streets and is believed to have not received any financial assistance from the Government of Pakistan after qualifying to participate at the Tokyo Olympics.[10]

On 4 August 2021, he qualified for the men's javelin throw event final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[21][22] He became the first ever Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event in the history of Olympics.[23][24] He finished fifth in the men's javelin throw event with a throw of 84.62 m.[25][26]

2022: World Athletics and Commonwealth Games

During July 2022, Arshad Nadeem participated in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, as the sole representative from Pakistan. He finished 5th in the final with a throw of 86.16m, despite carrying an elbow injury.[27] This was also his season's best throw.[28][29]

On 7 August 2022, he won a gold medal for Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Despite his injury, he made a games record with his throw of 90.18m in his fifth attempt, surpassing World Champions Anderson Peters' attempt of 88.64 in the competition, meanwhile also becoming the first South Asian to cross the 90m mark.[6][30] This was Pakistan's first athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.[31]

Five days later on 12 August 2022, he won another gold medal for Pakistan at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games. He made a games record with his throw of 88.55m.[32]

Treatment for injury

Arshad Nadeem left for the UK on 1 December 2022 to get treatment on his injured elbow and knee joint. The Athletics Federation of Pakistan arranged for him to be treated at the Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital. After a ten day rehabilitation and physiotherapy period, it will take him a further four to six weeks to make a full recovery.[33]

International competitions
NR−National Record
GR−Games Record
q−Qualification round
Representing  Pakistan
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2016 South Asian Games Guwahati, India 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Javelin throw 78.33 m
Asian Junior Athletics Championships Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Javelin throw 73.40 m
World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 30th (q) Javelin throw 67.17 m
2017 Islamic Solidarity Games Baku, Azerbaijan 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Javelin throw 76.33 m
Asian Championships Bhubaneswar, India 7th Javelin throw 78.00 m
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 8th Javelin throw 76.02 m
Asian Games Jakarta, Indonesia 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Javelin throw 80.75 m
2019 Asian Championships Doha, Qatar 6th Javelin throw 78.55 m
World Championships Doha, Qatar 16th (q) Javelin throw 81.52 m NR
South Asian Games Kathmandu, Nepal 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javelin throw 86.29 m GR NR
2021 Imam Reza Cup Mashhad, Iran 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javelin throw 86.38 m NR
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 5th Javelin throw 84.62 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, Oregon, United States 5th Javelin throw 86.16 m
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, England 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javelin throw 90.18 m GR NR
Islamic Solidarity Games Konya, Turkey 1st place, gold medalist(s) Javelin throw 88.55 m GR

Seasonal bests by year
Year Performance Place Date[1]
2015 70.46 metres Islamabad, Pakistan 3 April
2016 78.33 metres Guwahati, India 10 February
2017 78 metres Bhubaneswar, India 9 July
2018 80.75 metres Jakarta, Indonesia 27 August
2019 86.29 metres (GR) Kathmandu, Nepal 7 December
2021 86.38 metres Mashhad, Iran 12 April
2022 90.18 metres (GR) Birmingham, England 7 August

Awards and recognition
  • Cash Rewards

For securing 5th Position in the final medal round at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo:-

For Gold Medal in 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham:

For Gold Medal in Islamic Solidarity Games 2022 Konya Turkey:

See also

References
  1. "World Athletics Profile".
  2. "Men's Javelin Throw World Rankings".
  3. "Men's Javelin Throw World Rankings".
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  6. Desk, The Bridge (2022-08-08). "Watch: Arshad Nadeem becomes first South Asian to breach 90m mark". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  7. "I didn't want him to be a mason like me, says Arshad Nadeem's father after son's 90.18 m javelin CWG gold medal". Indian Express. August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
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