Arshad Nadeem Wiki, Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Arshad Nadeem is a Pakistani track and field athlete, who competes in the javelin throw. On 7 August 2022, he won a gold medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Pakistani to win a gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the games. Additionally, he also became the first South Asian to breach the 90m mark. ^[1]The Bridge

Wiki/Biography

Arshad Nadeem was born on Thursday, 2 January 1997 (age 26 years; as of 2023) in Mian Channu, Khanewal, Pakistan. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. Nadeem spent his childhood watching and playing Neza Bazi (tent pegging), a popular rural sport in Pakistan in which horsemen show their daredevilry. It was Nadeem’s father who was passionate about Neza Bazi and insisted he take up the sport. Mian Channu’s sprawling grounds, where Nadeem practised for Neza Bazi, exposed him to different outdoor sports. He did his schooling at Govt High School 102/15-l, Mian Channu. During his school days, he dabbled in various sports which included cricket, badminton, football, and athletics. Eventually, he grew passionate about cricket, which led him to play it at district-level tape-ball tournaments. However, after a couple of years, Arshad had to make a choice between cricket and athletics. Nadeem chose athletics on the insistence of his father and elder brothers, both of whom were athletes at the divisional level. In an interview, he shared the dilemma of leaving cricket and said,

Leaving cricket behind was not easy, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. My father was a labourer, we didn’t have the required resources or contacts to make it pro in cricket. My school’s PT [physical training] teachers Ajmal and Zafar looked after me well and helped me adjust to the change.”

Although he pursued shot-put, discus throw, and javelin throw in athletics initially, he later dropped discus throw and shot-put and started focusing solely on the javelin throw. Rasheed Ahmad Saqi took Nadeem under his apprenticeship when he was in seventh grade. Apparently, Nadeem caught the eye of Saqi during an athletics competition; Rasheed Ahmad Saqi has a reputation for developing sportspeople in Pakistan. Finally, Nadeem started competing as a javelin thrower in 2015. Thereafter, he won numerous medals in Punjab Youth Festivals and an inter-board meet, roping in offers to represent leading domestic athletics teams in Pakistan like Army, Air Force, and Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA). During the trials for the 2015 National Championships in Pakistan, Nadeem was inducted into the camp after Syed Fiaz Hussain Bokhari recognised his potential and became his permanent coach.

When Nadeem broke the 70 m barrier at the 2015 National Championships, he booked his place in the South Asian Games (SAG) 2016 squad, meanwhile securing a job a WAPDA.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 6′ 2″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Arshad Nadeem belongs to a Muslim family.

Parents & Siblings

His father, Muhammad Ashraf, is a mason who works on a contractual basis. Nadeem has 4 brothers and he is the oldest among them. Like Nadeem, one of his younger brothers is also a javelin thrower. One of his brothers’ names is Aleem.

Wife & Children

Arshad Nadeem is married and has a son. ^[2]Youtube – ARY News

Medals

Gold

• 2019 National Games (Peshawar) with a throw of 83.65

• 2019 South Asian Games (Kathmandu) with a throw of 86.29 m (South Asian Games record and national record)

• 2021 Imam Reza Cup (Mashhad) with a throw of 86.38 m (national record)

• 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham) with a throw of 90.18 m (Commonwealth Games record and national record)
  
  

  Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan (centre), silver medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada (left), and bronze medallist Julius Yego of Kenya at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham)

Bronze

• 2016 South Asian Games (Guwahati) with a throw of 78.33 m (national record)
  
  

  Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra of India (center), Silver medalist D.S. Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka (left) and Bronze medalist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan at the 2016 South Asian Games (Guwahati)

• 2016 Asian Junior Athletics Championships (Ho Chi Minh City) with a throw of 73.40 m

• 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games (Baku) with a throw of 76.33 m
  

  Arshad Nadeem at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games (Baku)

• 2018 Asian Games (Jakarta) with a throw of 80.75 m (national record)
  
  

  Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra of India (center) with silver medalist Qizhen Liu of China (left) and bronze medalist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan (right) at the 2018 Asian Games (Jakarta)

Facts/Trivia

• He first made acquaintance with his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra at SAG 2016, Guwahati. Then, Neeraj was an 18-year-old upcoming athlete like Arshad himself. Thereafter, a friendly rivalry started between the athletes which was witnessed by their fans in the following competitions. During the 2019 South Asian Games, Nadeem won a gold medal smashing the national record with a throw of 86.29 m and surpassing Chopra’s games record set by four meters, which he had set in 2016. In an interview after winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Neeraj Chopra said that his javelin was carried around by Nadeem before the final. However, the statement was blown out of proportion as many assumed that Nadeem was perhaps tampering with Neeraj’s javelin. Thereafter, Neeraj appealed to everyone to not promote unnecessary propaganda via his Twitter account, citing that athletes often use personal javelins of each other.

• He was the sole athlete representing Pakistan at the 2019 World Athletics Championships (Doha). Although he broke the national record with a throw of 81.52 m, he missed out on qualification to the final.

• His 86.29 m performance at the 2019 South Asian Games secured him direct qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo) and he became Pakistan’s only athlete to qualify directly for the Olympics.

• The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) sent Arshad on a two-month training period to Nanjing, China for Tokyo 2020, but the trip was cut short due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• At Tokyo Olympics 2020, he became the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event at the Olympic Games.

• Witnessing Nadeem’s extraordinary performance at Tokyo Olympics 2020, his father, during an interview, recalled how Nadeem underwent training in his own house’s courtyards and streets and did not receive any financial assistance from the Government of Pakistan after being qualified for the Olympics. He also stated that the expenses of sending Nadeem to Multan, Faisalabad, and Lahore for practice were completely borne by him.

• On 4 August 2021, he qualified for the men’s javelin throw event final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This made him the country’s only track and field athlete to qualify directly for the Olympics and the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event at the Olympic Games. ^[3]Dawn

• On 7 August 2022, he rose to prominence by becoming the first Pakistani to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the men’s javelin throw event. This also made him the first South Asian to breach the 90m mark.

What a superb performance from Arshad Nadeem!

He earns Pakistan their first track and field Gold after 60 years 🥇🥇, setting precedence with a new Games record.

Congratulations @NOCPakistan 👏🏾#CommonwealthGames2022 | #B2022 pic.twitter.com/6H5YlKxeLg

— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) August 7, 2022

• According to his father, Muhammad Ashraf, Arshad Nadeem often watches Neeraj Chopra’s videos on his phone to draw inspiration from his game. ^[4]The Indian Express