Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem receives major award in Dubai

By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Pakistan’s Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem has been honoured with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award in the Global Breakthrough Athlete category on Monday, recognising a year that reshaped the country’s athletics history.
Nadeem received the award at the World Sports Summit in Dubai following his gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics, where he produced a throw of 92.97 metres to set a new Olympic record and secure Pakistan’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in athletics.
The mark eclipsed the previous Olympic record that had stood for more than a decade and confirmed Nadeem’s rise from a little-known athlete from southern Punjab to one of the sport’s leading figures on the global stage.
Speaking after the ceremony, Nadeem said the international recognition was a moment of pride for Pakistan and could help inspire young athletes at home.
“Such encouragement strengthens an athlete’s belief,” he said. “Confidence and motivation are what a sportsman needs the most, and recognition like this pushes you to aim higher.”
He added that his next major targets were the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, saying the award from the Dubai government had given him renewed confidence ahead of preparations. Nadeem said he would begin structured training from January, with the clear objective of winning gold medals rather than simply participating.
Nadeem, 28, has been at the forefront of Pakistan’s resurgence in track and field over the past decade. He first gained international attention by qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, finishing fifth eventually.
His breakthrough came at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won gold with a throw of 90.18 metres, ending Pakistan’s long wait for a top podium finish in athletics at the event. And he subsequently also lifted gold in the Islamic Games in Turkey.
The following year, Nadeem added a world championship silver medal, becoming the first Pakistani to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships, and later claimed golds at the Asian Championship in Korea and Islamic Games in Riyadh, further cementing his status as Asia’s and Islamic word leading javelin thrower.
The Paris Olympic title marked the peak of that progression, delivering Pakistan its first Olympic athletics gold medal and placing Nadeem among the elite names in the discipline.
Established in 2008, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award recognises exceptional sporting achievements and contributions across disciplines worldwide.
Nadeem was the only Pakistani athlete represented at this year’s World Sports Summit, which brought together senior figures from international federations, professional leagues and the wider global sports industry.
In comments to local media on the sidelines of the summit, Nadeem thanked the Dubai government for the honour, saying that being recognised alongside global sports stars was a source of pride not just for him but for Pakistan as a whole.