Arshad Nadeem

In 2015, Arshad Nadeem first participated in javelin throw competitions. He qualified to train at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius in 2016 after receiving a scholarship from World Athletics. At the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku in May 2017, Nadeem clinched the bronze medal with a best throw of 76.33 meters. In the qualification round of the javelin throw competition at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, in April 2018, he established a new personal best of 80.45 meters. He also suffered a back ailment following the conclusion of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

At the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, in August 2018, he took home a bronze medal after setting a new 80.75-meter personal best and national record. Nadeem achieved a new personal best and a new national record of 81.52m while competing as the lone Pakistani competitor at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Nadeem set a national record in November 2019 when he threw an 83.65 metre javelin to earn gold for WAPDA in the 33rd National Games in Peshawar. He captured the gold medal at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal in December 2019 with a throw that established a new games record of 86.29 meters.

He earned a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics men’s javelin throw final on August 4, 2021. He became the first Pakistani to ever qualify for the Olympic track and field final in any event. With a throw of 84.62 meters, he came in fifth place in the men’s javelin throw competition. The World Championships 2022 served as his first significant international tournament following the Olympics. Arshad Nadeem was the only athlete from Pakistan to compete in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, which were held in Eugene, Oregon, in July.  Despite having an elbow injury, he placed fifth in the final with a throw of 86.16 meters, which was also his best throw of the season.

On 7 August 2022, he astonished everyone by winning the gold medal for Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games. Despite being hurt, he set a new game’s record with his throw of 90.18 meters on his fifth attempt, breaking the previous record of 88.64 meters set by World Champions Anderson Peters. He was also the first South Asian to reach the 90-meter mark. Since 1962, Pakistan had not won a gold medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games. He finished an excellent year by winning another gold medal for Pakistan at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games five days later, on August 12, 2022. He created a games record with his 88.55m throw.

Arshad’s greatest rival is Indian Javelin thrower and Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra. Neeraj won the gold medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020 and is a World Championship 2022 silver medalist. He also won the Diamond League 2022 title.

His present coach is Terseus Liebenberg. Terseus accompanied Arshad to the World Championships 2022 held in Oregon. In the 2021-2022 South Africa Athletics Annual, which is a publication of the SA Athletics Statisticians (SAAS), the athletics coach was regarded the best coach of the readmission era by the executive committee of the sports body.

Arshad Nadeem was born on January 2, 1997, in Mian Channu, Khanewal, Punjab, into a Punjabi family. In a family of eight siblings, he is the third oldest. His dad is a stonemason. From his earliest years of school, Arshad was an incredibly adaptable athlete. He participated in all of the school’s activities, including football, athletics, badminton, and cricket, but his favourite was cricket. He quickly started competing in tape-ball events at the district level. Arshad drew Rasheed Ahmad Saqi’s attention during an athletics competition when he was in grade seven. Since Saqi had a reputation for mentoring athletes in the division, he quickly took Arshad under his wing. Arshad Nadeem is now married. He also has two children – a son and a daughter.