ISLAMABAD: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza praised Pakistan’s javelin ace Arshad Nadeem in a meeting on Tuesday, saying his heroic performance made it possible for the country to secure first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Paris games where he also set a new record.
Nadeem stunned the world with a mammoth throw of 92.97 meters on August 8 at one of the biggest global sporting platforms, putting rival athletes under pressure by setting a high benchmark that none of them could achieve.
Pakistan had last won an Olympic gold medal in 1984 when its men’s field hockey team triumphed in Los Angeles.
General Mirza met Nadeem at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
“Chairman JCSC lauded Arshad Nadeem’s efforts for securing Pakistan’s first-ever gold medal in a singles’ event and setting up a new Olympic record,” Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing, said on Tuesday.
In this handout photo, taken and released by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza (R), Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, speaks during a meeting with Pakistani Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi on August 20, 2024. (ISPR)
The Pakistani general also appreciated Nadeem’s diligence and devotion in achieving the “momentous milestone” in the country’s sports history, the statement continued, adding he also wished the athlete the very best for his future endeavors.
Nadeem, who used a bamboo stick in 2012 to make the first javelin himself, became visible to the world as an international athlete when he won bronze at the 2016 South Asia Federation sports event in India.
He threw his first 90-meter throw at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which earned him a gold medal.
Last week, the Pakistani army chief hosted a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Nadeem’s honor where he highlighted the athlete’s “inspirational journey” from a small settlement in the eastern Punjab province to winning an Olympic gold medal, saying it reflected the importance of hard work and determination.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also hosted the Pakistan sports star at his official residence in Islamabad where he announced a cash prize of Rs150 million for him and said his administration would name a road after him in the capital city of Islamabad.
