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Pakistan Olympic champion was gifted over $850,000 in prize money and a luxurious car for winning a gold medal at Paris 2024 Games.
Following his historic feat at Paris 2024 Olympics by winning the men's Javelin gold medal, Pakistan's first in history, Arshad Nadeem was treated to a heroic welcome with prize money over N1.43 billion ($897,000), a luxurious car, and other mouthwatering gifts.
The 27-year-old took the top spot in the men's Javelin event in Paris with a monstrous Olympic Record distance of 92.97m, thus becoming the first Pakistani to win an individual gold medal in the country’s history.
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On his return, thousands of supporters showed up at the airport for their hero, who once trained with javelins he fashioned out of eucalyptus branches. According to Reuters, he was greeted in Lahore with a water cannon salute and was adorned with garlands.
The monetary rewards gifted to Arshad Nadeem
Nadeem received a total of 250 million rupees ($897,000 = #1.4 billion) as Pakistan continued to celebrate his record-breaking throw at the Paris Games.
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced 150 million rupees ($535,000 = #854,882,000) for Nadeem at a special ceremony to honor the star athlete in Islamabad.
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Sharif’s announcement came hours after Punjab’s chief minister Mariam Nawaz visited Nadeem’s house in a village in the Mian Channu district and presented him with a check for 100 million rupees ($359,000 = #570,451,000).
Flanked by Nadeem's parents, Nawaz handed the keys of the new car to Nadeem with a special number plate of 92.97 which is the distance he threw to set a new Olympic record while winning gold in Paris on August 8 (The previous record was held by Denmark's Andreas Thorkildsen, who achieved the mark of 90.57 m at the 2008 Beijing Games).
Nadeem’s coach Salman Iqbal Butt was also given 5 million rupees ($18,000).
“You have doubled the delight of 250 million Pakistanis because we’ll also celebrate our Independence Day tomorrow,” Sharif said while announcing the money for Nadeem, whose father is a daily wage laborer. “Today every Pakistani is happy and the morale of the whole country is sky high.”
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How Arshad Nadeem rose from the shackles of poverty to Olympic champion
There was a time when Nadeem didn't have the funds to buy a Javelin. During his early days, he even took money from his fellow villagers and relatives to travel to other cities for training and events.
His father, a retired construction worker, was over the moon when his son clinched the glory in Paris, detailing the tough times for his son to reach this stage.
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"What will the government do? I am still alive. I will support my son as long as I am alive. 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," said Arshad's father to a local news channel after his son's Olympic gold.
Nadeem's gold was Pakistan's first after 40 years since the men's team won the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He has been doing well in the past two years, with a silver medal at the 2023 World Championship and the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold with a 90.18m throw.
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