Pakistan's Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem has been honored with the country's second-highest civilian award, the Hilal-i-Imtiaz. Nadeem achieved this remarkable feat by securing the first-ever individual gold medal for Pakistan in the men's javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Arshad Nadeem to Receive Pakistan's Highest Civilian Award
The announcement of the award was made by Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday, August 10.
“The President will confer the civil award upon Arshad Nadeem during a special ceremony to be held in recognition of his prominent performance in sports. The President will confer the civil award under Article 259 (2) of the Constitution,” read the statement.
In a social media post on platform X, the President Secretariat Press highlighted the president's recognition of Nadeem's exceptional achievement on the global stage.
"Arshad Nadeem made the nation proud in the field of sports with excellent performance. His outstanding success at the global level has become a source of pride for the nation," read the post.
Arshad Nadeem's Historic Achievement
Arshad Nadeem's gold medal win was marked by a historic javelin throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record. His achievement made him only the third athlete to win an individual medal for Pakistan at the Olympics. India's Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020, secured the silver medal in Paris with a throw of 89.45 meters. He became the first Indian track and field athlete to claim two medals after independence.
Neeraj also become the fourth Indian after independence to win double medal in Olympics after PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker and Sushil Kumar.
Arshad Nadeem's Overwhelming Victory
Arshad Nadeem's emotions ran high after his historic gold medal win. The athlete, who faced challenges in securing a new javelin just five months ago, was overcome with joy and disbelief. Both Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem struggled in their opening attempts, with both athletes committing fouls. Subsequent throws offered little in terms of excitement, except for Arshad's final attempt, which surpassed the 90-meter mark for the second time in the final, registering a distance of 91.79 meters. Neeraj, unfortunately, fouled his remaining attempts.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Sanju Samson finally breaks silence on his ODI snub, says 'I want my career to...'
