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| Arshad Nadeem won Pakistan's first medal in the history of World Athletics Championships |
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the silver medal in the javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.
This is the first time that a Pakistani athlete has won any medal in the history of these events.
In the final on Sunday night, Arshad threw his best throw of 87.82 meters and it was also his best throw this season.
The gold medal in this event was won by India's Neeraj Chopra whose first throw of 88.17 meters proved to be enough to secure him the first position.
Earlier, in the preliminaries of the javelin throw on Friday, Arshad Nadeem not only made it to the final thanks to a throw of 86.79 meters but also qualified for the 2024 Olympics in France.
Arshad Nadeem was unable to participate in any national or international event for almost a year due to injury and this was his first international competition after his recovery.
Before this event, Arshad had won a bronze medal for Pakistan at the 2018 Asian Games and a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
How did a village cricketer become an athlete?
Arshad Nadeem belongs to Chak No. 101-15 L, a village in the suburbs of Mian Chanu.
His father is Raj Mistry but he encouraged his son every step of the way. Arshad Nadeem's career has been played by two coaches, Rashid Ahmed Saqi and Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari.
Rashid Ahmed Saqi has been an athlete himself in addition to being the President of District Khanewal Athletics Association. He has been a pioneer in mentoring and encouraging talented athletes in his region.
Some time ago, Rasheed Ahmed Saqi, while talking to BBC reporter Abdul Rasheed Shakoor, said that he had known Arshad Nadeem since he was a student in 6th and 7th grade. This child was fond of sports from the beginning. At that time his focus was more on cricket and he was very serious about becoming a cricketer but at the same time, he also took a keen interest in athletics. He was the best athlete in his school.
Rashid Ahmad Saqi says 'I have a good relationship with Arshad Nadeem's family too. I remember one day his father came to me and said Arshad Nadeem is now in your hands, this is your son. I took charge of their training and kept sending them to participate in various athletics competitions in Punjab. Arshad achieved success in the Punjab Youth Festival and other provincial competitions.
He says, ``So, Arshad Nadeem used to participate in the shot put, discus throw, and other events too, but seeing his height, I prepared him for javelin throw.''
Rasheed Ahmad Saqi says, ``I sent Arshad Nadeem to Pakistan Air Force for training but recalled him after a week. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army was also interested in Arshad Nadeem, but one day an army car came and a colonel in it was asking me.
'I was scared, what's going on? But when he talked about Arshad Nadeem, my life came alive. The colonel said to send Arshad Nadeem to the army, but I refused. When the colonel asked the reason, I told him that I would train him in a military style. However, after that, I sent Arshad Nadeem to WAPDA trials where he got selected.
Arshad Nadeem is married with one son and one daughter.
Rashid Ahmed Saqi said, "I used to tell Arshad Nadeem jokingly that if his dream of participating in the Olympics is fulfilled, then he should get married, but you know that marriages in the village tend to be early and early."
A very quick learner
Arshad Nadeem's journey started from the grass field of Mian Chanu which took him to international competitions.
Arshad Nadeem's coach is Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari who belongs to Pakistan Wapda. He has represented Pakistan in international athletics competitions.
Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari while talking to BBC Urdu said that Arshad Nadeem is an intelligent athlete who tries to learn very quickly. What a normal athlete does in six months, Arshad does in one month.
According to him, before the South Asian Games were held two years ago, both of them had made a commitment that they would not go to the Olympics through wild card but would qualify through performance.