Daily Times

Javelin star Arshad Nadeem on Tuesday said that his next goal was to nab the world record as he was hosted at the Prime Minister House for a state banquet in his honour for securing the country’s first Olympic gold medal in 40 years.

Arshad made history in Paris last week with his win, setting a record in the Games with his monstrous 92.97-metre throw.

Arshad, his family and coach Salman Iqbal Butt arrived at the PM House where they were received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Addressing the event, Arshad thanked his family and the nation for their prayers, saying they enabled him to break the Olympic record for the javelin throw event.

“I was very happy that God bestowed me with the gold medal and we will celebrate August 14th with this. I am very happy that I’ve come to Pakistan and you’re all giving me so much love.

He also thanked PM Shehbaz and the public for the welcome afforded to him upon his return, saying it was perhaps “even more so than my medal”.

Arshad credited PM Shehbaz’s Punjab Sports and Youth Festival initiative during his time as the Punjab chief minister in the 2013 PML-N tenure for “sowing the seed”. “That plant has still not fully grown and is still starting, but we will take it further and make it bigger and make Pakistan proud in the world,” he added. Speaking after the Olympian, PM Shehbaz termed Arshad the “hero” of the nation.

“Today is a moment of great pride and happiness not only for me and the government but the whole nation whose beating heart and hero is Arshad Nadeem who not only won and gave Pakistan a gold medal after 40 years … but also doubled our joy on this occasion of independence.”

PM Shehbaz reiterated Arshad’s accomplishment of not only bringing an Olympic gold medal to the country after 40 years but also breaking the Olympic javelin world record.

The prime minister also lauded Arshad’s mother for her upbringing and expressed gratitude to her. “This plant of success you’ve sown will not only become a big shadeful tree but I think it will lead to many more plants in our society whose roots will be strengthened and they will become trees too,” he added.

Expressing hope that Arshad’s records would continue to grow, the prime minister said it was the duty of the federal and provincial governments, as well as sports bodies, to set aside their differences and work together to revive various sports. Expressing his government’s readiness to cooperate in the matter, PM Shehbaz announced the constitution of a committee to investigate where the federal government could contribute to bringing back the country’s glory days in sports.

Praising the announcements of cash awards for Arshad from the Sindh and Punjab governments, PM Shehbaz announced a reward of Rs150 million from the federal government for the Olympian and Rs10m for his coach.

“There will be no tax on this,” the premier quipped.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited Arshad in his hometown of Mian Channu and awarded him a cheque worth Rs100 million for his medal.

CM Maryam arrived in Mian Channu via a helicopter to visit Arshad at his home, where she was greeted by the javelin star and his family. The chief minister congratulated Arshad and his mother Razia Parveen, with whom she also had a chat.

According to a press release, Maryam handed Arshad a cheque worth Rs100m, which she had announced previously, along with a Honda Civic car with a special registration number PAK-92.97 to commemorate the athlete’s winning throw. The chief minister also handed Arshad’s coach a cheque worth Rs5m, commending him for the training he provided to the javelin superstar. “Arshad Nadeem has brought unprecedented happiness to the nation,” Maryam was quoted as saying in the press release.