Pakistan rewards javelin champion for record-breaking throw at Paris Olympics

 Olympic javelin gold medalist, Arshad Nadeem, received a total of 250 million rupees ($897,000) on Tuesday as Pakistan continued to celebrate his record-breaking throw at the Paris Games.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced 150 million rupees ($538,000) for Nadeem at a special ceremony to honour the star athlete in Islamabad. Sharif ’s announce­ment came hours after Punjab’s chief minister, Mariam Nawaz, visited Nadeem’s house in a village in the Mian Channu district and presented him with a check for 100 million rupees ($359,000).

Nawaz also handed him the keys to a new car which has a special registration number of “PAK 92.97” to commemo­rate Nadeem’s throw of 92.97 meters at Paris, which was an Olympic record. Nadeem’s coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, was also given 5 million rupees ($18,000).

Last Thursday, Nadeem set off celebrations across Pakistan when his throw easily surpassed the previous Olympic mark of 90.57 set by Andreas Thork­ildsen of Norway in 2008. It was also well clear of India’s Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo champion, who reached a sea­son-best 89.45 for silver.

“Arshad Nadeem has brought unprecedented happiness to the nation,” Nawaz said in a statement.

Nadeem won Pakistan’s first Olympic gold in 40 years, when the men’s field hockey team won at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Pakistan’s last medal of any color was a field hockey bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Later Tuesday, Nadeem and his family were flown to Islam­abad on a special flight from Multan to attend a reception hosted by Sharif, who paid tribute to the athlete during a cabinet meeting.

Pakistan is predominant­ly known for cricket in the sporting world with the country winning the 1992 World Cup.

Pakistan red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie, said Nadeem will be invited to the dressing room of the Pakistan cricket team during the first test match.

Nadeem also has a special postage stamp in his honour depicting his record throw.

—AP

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