The burly javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan may be receiving monetary medals and other significant prizes for winning the Olympics, but his father-in-law has opted to give him a buffalo instead.
Pakistan may be showering its Olympic gold medalist, Arshad Nadeem, with cash and other important rewards, but his father-in-law has decided to gift the burly javelin thrower a buffalo, which is in keeping with his rural culture and custom. On Sunday, Muhammad Nawaz informed local reporters in Nadeem’s hometown that presenting a buffalo is “very valuable” and “honourable” in their community. Nadeem won the javelin throw event in Paris with an Olympic Games record of 92.97 meters, beating India’s Neeraj Chopra to second place. “Nadeem also takes great pride in his roots and despite the success, his home still remains his village and he still lives with his parents and brothers,” according to Nawaz.
The father-in-law continued by saying that he had three daughters and four boys, with Ayesha, his youngest daughter, being wed to Nadeem.
Nawaz revealed that the pair is parents to two sons and one daughter.
Nadeem, who was raised in the Punjabi village of Khanewal, had no money to train for competitions overseas and depended on the generosity of his relatives and fellow villagers to send him there in his early years.
Nawaz added that although he was a man of little means when he made the decision to wed his daughter to Nadeem, he had a burning desire to succeed in sports and would practice in the fields of the hamlet.
“When we decided to marry our daughter to Nadeem six years back, at that time he used to do small jobs and run errands but was extremely passionate about his sport and constantly practised throwing the javelin at home and in the fields,” replied Nawaz.
Nawaz went on to say that he was overjoyed for Nadeem’s accomplishment and popularity, and that the javelin thrower, who became the country’s first individual medalist, was extremely respectful of everyone.
“Whenever he comes to our house he never complains about anything and eats whatever is there at our home,” stated the father.
“Two of his children have started going to the local primary school in the village while one son is still very young.”
