Pakistan’s star athlete Arshad Nadeem returned to the country earlier today to a hero’s welcome after his historic win in the men’s javelin throw event at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Arshad made the whole country proud when he shattered all Olympic records with a 92.97-metre throw to win his first-ever Olympic medal in Paris.

He landed two 90-metre-plus throws in his six attempts, breaking his personal-best record of 90.18m, becoming the first javelin thrower in history to make two 90-metre-plus throws in a single event.

Arshad’s remarkable achievement not only ended Pakistan’s 40-year wait for Olympic gold but also secured the country’s first-ever individual gold medal at the Games.

His achievements were celebrated all across the country, and even beyond, capturing the hearts of sports enthusiasts worldwide, including Chinese netizens who were rejoiced for “Ba Tie” – meaning “Pakistani Iron Brother”.

The Chinese embassy was the first to congratulate the star athlete for his remarkable achievement.

“Warmest Congratulations to our Pakistani brothers and sisters for Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem winning Pakistan’s first gold medal at the Olympics in 40 years and breaking the Olympic record of men’s javelin in Paris,” the Chinese Embassy wrote on Twitter.

Another X user, CNsky, also congratulated Arshad on winning the gold.

Meanwhile, Chinese netizens on Weibo, China’s version of X, even created a trending tag: “Nadeem surprises his coach’s sunglasses off”. The tag garnered tens of millions of views, with one user humorously remarking, “OMG the coach’s reaction is adorable; he couldn’t believe his eyes!”