EDITORIAL: In one magical moment Arshad Nadeem filled the whole nation with joy and pride. Hurling his javelin in second attempt at 92.7m, he not only secured first place but set a new Olympic record, surpassing the 90.57m set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Andreas Thorkidsen.
The defending champion and the crowd favourite India’s Niraj Chopra did his best with 89.45m, coming in second place. If anyone thought Arshad’s was a fluke throw, in the final round his spear landed at 91.79m. His momentous feat has won the individual Olympic gold medal for any Pakistani and first gold for the country since 1984 when the hockey team collected that medal.
As usual free from vanity Arshad later told reporters, “it’s an amazing feeling ... to win Olympic gold. I’m thankful to Allah for giving me the fruit of my labour, and to all the people back home who prayed for me. I’ll try to do even better next time around.” His medal, he added, was an “independence day gift for the country.” Of course, there could be no better gift than that.
He first came to limelight at the 2016 South Asian Games in India where he threw his javelin at 78.33m and secured a bronze medal. At the last Olympics in Tokyo where his main rival Chpora won the gold, he finished fifth with injuries. That did not dispirit him.
He soon bounced back to win several accolades going forward, relying on hard work and his coach Salman Butt whom he gave due credit while resplendent in gold glory, saying, “he ensured I came back even stronger and better”. Unlike athletes from other countries who had the best possible training Arshad had hardly any help from the government or the relevant sports bodies when he needed it most.
Notably, at the 2022 Common Wealth Games he had thrown at 90.18m to clinch the gold. In 2023, he put another gold medal under his belt in the World Athletics Championship at Budapest. Yet earlier this year when he asked for replacement of his nearly 8-year-old javelin his request met with silence from official quarters until Chopra intervened with a tweet for help.
That is when he received a new spear, and was later sent to South Africa for a three-week training, which eventually stood him in good stead in Paris. Now that he has singlehandedly fulfilled the nation’s hopes and aspirations plenty of people would want to own him.
It is about time instead of fighting for official positions in various sporting boards and federations, our sporting establishment focused on building the skill sets of up-and-coming talent in different fields, of which there is no dearth. There are many young people with exceptional abilities, especially in least prevailed sections of society, whose potential remains untapped due to lack of resources, guidance, and training facilities.
That is where our brightest star Arshad Nadeem as well as some others, including many of the best cricketers and hockey players, come from. If only adequate funds and proper training facilities are made easily accessible, many more stars can rise and make us proud again and again.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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