Pakistan celebrates Arshad Nadeem's historic Olympic gold at Paris 2024 Olympics

By Nischal Schwager-Patel
2 min|
Pakistan celebrates the return of Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem (centre) from his gold medal display at Paris 2024.
Picture by AFP via Getty Images

Considering it was the nation's first Olympic medal in 32 years, Pakistan was sure to celebrate Paris 2024 Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem.

Nadeem won a sensational gold in the men’s javelin throw at the Stade de France, breaking the Olympic Record with his superb throw of 92.97m.

The 27-year-old received a hero’s welcome back home on Sunday (11 August) as he went on a parade in the streets, in his honour.

In addition to financial rewards, a sports facility will be built and named after Nadeem in his hometown of Khanewal. This will also be the case in Karachi and Sindh - all bearing the name of the Pakistani Olympic champion.

Furthermore, he is being rewarded with a special ‘gold crown’ from the mayor of the Pakistani city of Sukkur.

Nadeem is the first Pakistani athlete to win an individual medal in athletics, and their first medallist since the men’s hockey team at Barcelona 1992.

Pakistan’s last Olympic medal from an individual was even longer ago, at Seoul 1988 when boxer Hussain Shah Syed won men’s middleweight bronze.

Supported by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity scholarship, Nadeem has written history for Pakistan and inspired a nation with their first Olympic medal of the 21st century.