How Arshad Nadeem is an inspiration for us?

Biography:

Nadeem was born in a small city in Khanewal District, one of nine children of a daily wage laborer. From a young age, he showed great versatility as an athlete, dabbling in whatever sports were on offer at school, from cricket to football and badminton. Who thought that, this 25 years old young boy from a poor family is going to make Pakistan proud by his outstanding performance in Common Wealth games 2022.

 Struggles:

Without expensive lessons, professional coaches and other amenities that athletes are provided with around the world, this young man defied his circumstances and through sheer strength, ambition and luck, fought all odds to represent Pakistan on the international stage. Arshad's journey from his small village in a wheat and cotton-producing area of Punjab to claiming gold at the CWG has been anything but easy. Third eldest of eight siblings, Nadeem’s father would make sure that his sporting son always got his share of milk and ghee. “I used to earn 400-500 per day on contract labor at that time, and it was tough to manage things for all the children. But I made sure that Nadeem would get milk and ghee to become a well-built youth. I did not want him to work like me and I always wanted him to lead a good life, which he has ensured with his performances.''

What his coach says: 

When I first saw Arshad, I was impressed by his strong arms at such a young age and saw a spark in him. Even though he threw 55 m in the trials, I was sure that if coached in a proper set up, he would improve only. Joining the hostel meant that he got a good diet,” it also improved his training technique. Within two months he crossed 60 m and four months later, at the age of 18 years, he crossed 70 m with a throw of 70.46 m in the Pakistan National Championship in 2015.''

His Achievements:

Arshad’s achievement appears even more impressive considering that he was competing with an injury. Arshad’s best attempt came to his second throw at 88.55 m after he opened on 79.40 m. His third throw reached a distance of 75.50 m and his fourth and fifth throw were 82.40 m and 83.33 m respectively. Arshad Nadeem is without a doubt one of Pakistan’s finest athletes and if he is properly supported, he has the potential to be ranked among the top athletes of the world. Last week, Arshad won the top medal at the Commonwealth Games in a fifth-round throw of 90.18 meters, setting a new record at the games where he now holds the title of the biggest throw recorded by a South Asian athlete. Nadeem left behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Kenya’s Julius, who had the best score of 88.64 m and 85.70 m respectively. This feat also secured Pakistan’s first athletics medal at the Games since 1966. Arshad has become the first Pakistani to win a javelin gold in the history of the event.

 This guy is an inspiration:

Arshad’s story is special and inspiring, and it is heartening to see how his family members sacrificed so much to help him get here, but there are many others like him who perhaps lack such a support structure. This is why we need an investment at the grassroots level so that talent can be nurtured.