Arshad Nadeem: An unstoppable Olympian

Earlier this month, on a glittering Paris evening at the Stade de France, Arshad Nadeem goes down in the textbooks of history. His eyes have a resoluteness about them, as he breathes steadily a couple of times, readying his javelin and himself seconds before the run-up to his throw, at the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. The moment the javelin releases from his hand — Nadeem’s eyes glued to its course and where it might land — the crowd breaks into cheer and applause, and the commentator exclaims, “It’s huge, it’s a great throw, and it will surely be a new Olympic record. What a change in demeanour, he could barely complete his run-up on the first throw, and that is massive, from Arshad Nadeem.” As the enormity of his throw — and what this might mean for millions of people back home — dawns upon him, Nadeem raises both his hands in the air, closes his eyes, and covers his face, as if in prayer and relief. Despite his staggering physical manner, the humility remains intact.

History — as well a new Olympic record — have unquestionably been formed. Not only has Pakistan won its first individual Olympic gold medal, but a new Olympic record throw of 92.97m has also been created. Nadeem has been unstoppable.

Nadeem’s story has no precedent in Pakistan. Many in his home country may not even know what a javelin is, let alone dreaming of winning a gold medal for it at the Olympics. Put another way, Pakistan is a cricket-crazy nation; athletics has rarely been spoken of or endorsed. In fact, in recent times, there has been an atmosphere of cynicism around sports per se, given the Pakistan cricket team’s drab performance at the World Cup earlier this year. But Nadeem’s trailblazing is a lesson, firstly about the power of a single person’s dream (beyond the use of such a phrase as a cliché), but also about the relentless practical pursuit required to fulfill those dreams.

Battling the odds

The journey appears straight out of the movies and whilst typically, there may be a risk of over-exoticising it, Nadeem was battling odds that were disproportionately against him. In order to fully fathom the magnitude of his story and success, it is important to acknowledge the abyss of adversities that stood in his way. Hailing from the ancient settlement of Mian Channu, Nadeem is one of eight siblings, whose early passion was cricket. His father, who is a mason, prodded him to try his hand at javelin throwing and ultimately, it is that persuasion that led Nadeem to compete at the Paris Olympics.

It doesn’t stop there for Nadeem was battling lots more. He was battling an upbringing that was far from indulgent. In an interview, his father mentions that it was other villagers and relatives who donated money to Nadeem for his training travel and events during the early days. He was also battling a country with a fledgling sports system, shoestring budgets, and minimal infrastructure to promote his passion; no sporting grounds or facilities, which meant Nadeem often trained in his own courtyards and streets. Five months prior to the Paris Olympics, he revealed how he had been using the same javelin for the past seven to eight years. “It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged, and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics.” But perhaps, worst of all, Nadeem was battling an utter doomsday environment, characterised by lingering political and economic chaos in Pakistan, that had started trickling into most industries, including sports. To keep the chin up and dare to dream, despite the surrounding cynicism, is perhaps Nadeem’s most remarkable deed. The rest of us are usually just cranky and complaining but mostly inactive.

Healthy competition

The twist in the tale that equally inspires is the camaraderie and healthy competition clearly visible between Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and India’s silver medalist, Neeraj Chopra. It topples the cliched narrative of India-Pakistan’s political and sporting rivalry, illustrating how sports can work the magic of coalescing humans across borders. When Nadeem was seeking support for a new javelin, Chopra spoke up in his favour and said, “It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all. Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs.” After the competition, both their mothers came out in recognition and applause of each other’s sons; those videos became instantly viral — offering rare moments of humanity and compassion. Ultimately, the symbolic significance of both these athletes standing next to each other on the Olympic podium steps, will form an indelible memory in sporting history.

In the immediate aftermath of Nadeem’s gold win, lots of people began to lay claim to his victory, partaking rightfully or wrongfully in his glory. However, none of that changes the fact that Pakistan’s sport systems are under threat. Now to watch a system peeling, decaying, folding around you, and yet retain the resolve that you can resurrect it, pretty much single-handedly, takes a special sort of conviction. In other words, Nadeem’s personal belief system outweighed the perils posed by Pakistan’s crumbling sporting system. Unlike what is usually fed to us, he didn’t believe that he must downsize his dreams, so that they fit his reality but rather, he outstripped his reality to make it fit his dreams.

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