Arshad Nadeem

Arshad Nadeem started competing in javelin throw events in 2015. In 2016, he received a scholarship from World Athletics which made him eligible to train at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius.

In February 2016, Nadeem won the bronze medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, India. He set national record and his personal best of 78.33 metres in the athletics event.

In June 2016, Nadeem won the bronze medal at the 17th Asian Junior Athletics Championship held in Ho Chi Minh.

In May 2017, Nadeem won a bronze medal with a best throw of 76.33 metres at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku. In April 2018, he set a new personal best of 80.45 metres in the qualification round of the javelin throw event and finished eight at the Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia. He also sustained a back injury following the end of 2018 Commonwealth Games. In August 2018, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he set a new personal best and national record of 80.75m.

As the only Pakistani athlete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Nadeem achieved a new personal best and national record of 81.52m. In November 2019, Nadeem set a national record when he recorded an 83.65 metre throw to win gold for WAPDA at the 33rd National Games in Peshawar. In December 2019, he won a gold medal with an 86.29 metre games record throw at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal.

Nadeem made his debut appearance at the Olympics representing Pakistan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held in 2021. In doing so, he became the first ever Pakistani track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics. His father stated that Nadeem was not even provided with a good training ground facility prior to competing at the Olympics. Nadeem underwent training in his own house's courtyard and streets and is believed to have not received any financial assistance from the Government of Pakistan after qualifying to participate at the Tokyo Olympics.

On 4 August 2021, he qualified for the men's javelin throw event final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He became the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event in the history of Olympics. He finished fifth in the men's javelin throw event with a throw of 84.62 m.

From March 2022 until the start of the world championships, Nadeem underwent training in South Africa under the supervision of the world athletic coach Terseus Liebenberg. The training was arranged by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan.

In July 2022, Nadeem participated in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, as the sole representative from Pakistan. He finished 5th in the final with a throw of 86.16m.

On 7 August 2022, he won a gold medal for Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Despite carrying an injury, Nadeem made a games record with his throw of 90.18m on his fifth attempt, surpassing World Champions Anderson Peters' attempt of 88.64 in the competition, meanwhile also becoming the first South Asian to cross the 90m mark. This was Pakistan's first athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.

Five days later on 12 August 2022, he won another gold medal for Pakistan at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games. He made a games record with his throw of 88.55m.

In November 2022, Nadeem won the gold medal in the javelin throw event with a throw of 81.21 meters at the 50th National Athletics Championship in Lahore.

Nadeem left for the UK on 1 December 2022 to get treatment on his injured elbow and knee joint. The Athletics Federation of Pakistan arranged for him to be treated at the Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital. After a ten-day rehabilitation and physiotherapy period, full recovery was to take a further four to six weeks.

Nadeem participated in the National Games of Pakistan and won a gold medal in the javelin throw event. However, he picked up a knee injury, which ruled him out of the Asian Athletics Championships. Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP)’s president Akram Sahi blamed WAPDA for forcing Nadeem to participate in the National Games.

Nadeem won a silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with a throw of 87.82m. This was Pakistan's first ever medal at the World Athletics Championships. He also secured qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics during the event eventually winning it with an Olympic record.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Nadeem made history by becoming the first Pakistani to win an individual Olympic Gold medal, claiming the Men's Javelin, setting a new Olympic record of 92.97 meters.

NR−National Record

GR−Games Record

q−Qualification round

SB− Season's Best

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2016	South Asian Games	Guwahati, India		Javelin throw	78.33 m
	Asian Junior Athletics Championships	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam		Javelin throw	73.40 m
	World U20 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	30th (q)	Javelin throw	67.17 m
2017	Islamic Solidarity Games	Baku, Azerbaijan		Javelin throw	76.33 m
	Asian Championships	Bhubaneswar, India	7th	Javelin throw	78.00 m
2018	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast, Australia	8th	Javelin throw	76.02 m
	Asian Games	Jakarta, Indonesia		Javelin throw	80.75 m
2019	Asian Championships	Doha, Qatar	6th	Javelin throw	78.55 m
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	16th (q)	Javelin throw	81.52 m NR
	South Asian Games	Kathmandu, Nepal		Javelin throw	86.29 m GR NR
2021	Imam Reza Cup	Mashhad, Iran		Javelin throw	86.38 m NR
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	5th	Javelin throw	84.62 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, Oregon, United States	5th	Javelin throw	86.16 m
	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, England		Javelin throw	90.18 m GR NR
	Islamic Solidarity Games	Konya, Turkey		Javelin throw	88.55 m GR
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary		Javelin throw	87.82 m SB
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France		Javelin throw	92.97 m OR