ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday awarded Rs 2.5 million to javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem for winning a silver medal in the World Athletics Championships last year.
Sharif met Nadeem at the Prime Minister’s house where he praised the achievements of the spearhead.
“You have done extremely well for Pakistan internationally and we are proud of you,” Sharif said.
“We will try to support you at the government level so that you can win more medals for Pakistan,” he added.
The Mian Chann native, who recently underwent knee surgery, is also hoping to return to top form soon.
Earlier, India’s Neeraj Chopra also urged the sponsors and Pakistan government to support Nadeem.
Last year at the World Championships in Hungary, Nadeem created history for the country by becoming the first athlete to win a silver medal with a throw of 87.82m, just behind India’s Neeraj Chopra who won the gold with a throw of 88.17m.
He also qualified for the Paris Olympics during the event. However, he missed the Asian Championship, Asian Games and Asian Throwing Championship last year due to fitness issues.
Arshad’s personal best throw is 90.18 meters which he managed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The javelin throw at the Paris Olympics will be held in France’s largest stadium, the Stade de France. The qualifying round will be held on August 6 and the finals will be held on August 8. Arshad finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 84.62m in the final.
