- Nadeem says he played his first international match in 2016.
- Athlete thanks his coach and doctor for their efforts with him.
- Arshad Nadeem asks the nation to pray for his health.
Basking in the glory of his Olympic gold medal, Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem said on Monday that he could not sleep seeing the immense love people had for him.
Nadeem claimed the country's first gold medal since 1984 and first since 1992, beating defending champion and Indian rival Neeraj Chopra into second place in the javelin on August 8. His throw of 92.97 metres was also an Olympic record.
Responding to the outpouring of affection from the crowd, the javelin thrower said he was taking the time to get to know them, as “they deserve it.”
Talking with Geo newsThe 27-year-old thanked everyone for supporting him and giving him a great welcome back home.
“When I reached my village, I was extremely happy to see the masses from the nearby villages gathered together [for me]”, said.
Sharing his experience, Nadeem said that he played in different tournaments in 2012 and achieved victories. Then, he said, he played his first international tournament in 2016 and finally reaped the fruits of his hard work on August 8, 2024.
“After the Tokyo Olympics [2020]“I worked very hard for the Paris Olympics,” she said.
Recalling the Olympic final, she said she felt great while preparing the groundwork and wanted to throw the javelin as far as she could on the second attempt so she wouldn't have to feel pressure on the third.
“If the second pitch had not hit [far]“Then I would have been under pressure in the third,” he said.
In the meantime, he said, he also tried to avoid injury.
The Olympic said Geo news who had also suffered an injury after surgery.
The Mian Channu-based athlete has had at least two surgeries in the recent past as he successfully underwent elbow surgery in 2022 and then knee surgery just months before the Paris Olympics.
He said his coach put a lot of effort into his training and the doctor helped him in rehabilitation.
Nadeem asked the nation to pray for his health and promised to win more medals for Pakistan next time.
