Around that time, Shahid started working as a police officer while his elder brother joined the army.
They urged Nadeem to take up javelin throwing. “He has always been a shy, quiet person who usually keeps quiet. We both knew he liked the sport, but he never talked about it publicly,” Shadid said. “We told him, ‘Don’t worry about money. We have jobs. We can keep our house.’”
As Pakistan’s sporting structure revolves around public sector organisations that provide employment opportunities to talented athletes, Nadeem’s athletic exploits generated local attention and he was sought out by various departments a few years later.
In 2015, an army representative called him. “I flatly refused,” Saqi recalls. “I told him, ‘Your training will ruin my athlete.’” He was concerned that Nadeem was doing both military and sports training.
“Basically, he is working very hard without any recovery period. You cannot force or punish a player and say that working long hours is part of training,” Saqi explained.
Saqi, who coached Nadeem until 2015, still maintains close ties with the athlete.
Saqi believes the most important factor behind Nadeem's success is his humility and said he has not been “tainted” by fame or money.
“He doesn’t show arrogance or pride. When he comes to Mian Channu to see me, he makes sure to walk behind me. He makes sure to open doors for me and waits until I sit down,” Saqi said.
Recalling an incident from a few years ago, the hotel owner said Nadeem was at a training camp in Islamabad when Saqi was taken to hospital for a heart complication.
“Somehow he found out and left the camp to come see me within a day. I had to scold him, despite my health, and tell him to go back to training,” Saqi recalls with a laugh.
Nadeem refers to Saqi as his “spiritual father.” A decade ago, when he didn’t even know that spikes specifically for javelin throwers existed, let alone owned them, it was Saqi who bought him his first pair.
The athlete also said that it was thanks to Saqi that he got a job in the sports department of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), a government-owned utility company that pays him a monthly advance.
“WAPDA was conducting trials for its sports department when Saqi sahib arranged for my entry there, and I managed to throw 56 metres [184ft] “That was what made everyone pay attention,” Nadeem recalled.
Within two months of joining WAPDA, Nadeem, then 18, became Pakistan's national champion in 2015.
“We were on the sixth and final throw, and at that time, I was fifth in the competition with an army athlete after having thrown 69 meters. [226ft]Everyone thought the competition was over, but somehow I managed to overcome myself and jump 70 meters. [300ft] “I threw my shot and won the gold medal,” Nadeem said with a brief, shy smile.
Nadeem was then selected for the 2016 South Asian Games in India, his first international competition.
The sporting event, which took place in Guwahati, India, was also the first time Nadeem competed against then-emerging Indian star Neeraj Chopra.
Nadeem, who came into the tournament with a sore throwing elbow, still managed a throw of 78.33 metres (257 feet), winning his first international medal, a bronze, while Chopra took gold.
“The previous Pakistani record stood for almost two decades, so I am very pleased with my effort,” Nadeem said.
