“Villagers, relatives used to donate money for my son’s training," reveals Arshad’s father

Arshad Nadeem's father recounted the immense challenges his son faced in achieving his dream of clinching a gold medal for Pakistan after a hiatus of 40 years.

He revealed that due to financial constraints, villagers pooled their resources to fund his son's travel and training.

The 27-year-old star athlete shattered the Olympic record with a monumental 92.97-meter throw in the men's javelin event, securing Pakistan's first gold medal since 1984.

As the sole breadwinner and a labourer, Arshad's father Muhammad Ashraf, faced struggles to make ends meet.

“People have no idea how Arshad got to this place today. How his fellow villagers and relatives used to donate money so that he could travel to other cities for his training and events in his early days,” Muhammad Ashraf revealed.

The Mian Channu-born Arshad Nadeem trained independently in his village despite lacking access to world-class facilities. He faced challenges acquiring an international-standard javelin before the Paris Olympics but eventually received support from the Pakistan Sports Board to purchase one after the issue gained media attention.

The javelin thrower faced some health issues and had to undergo a knee surgery last year.

Arshad continued his pursuit of the gold medal with unwavering determination and succeeded against all odds.

Nadeem's victory marks a watershed moment for Pakistani sports. His gold medal marks the nation's first-ever individual and track-and-field Olympic medal.

Moreover, he is only the second South Asian athlete to stand on the podium in this sport.

The last time Pakistan stood on an Olympic podium was in 1992 when the hockey team clinched bronze at the Barcelona Olympics. Pakistan's first-ever Olympic gold medal was also won by the hockey team in 1984.