Remember a time when your happiness was directly linked to cricket? Fortunately for those whose mood is entirely dependent on the sporting achievements of others, cricket no longer has to bear that burden alone. Now, thanks to Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, Pakistani glory and joy is best channelled through the man's right arm, as the athlete spearheaded his way to another gold medal in the men's javelin final with an 86.40m throw at the Asian Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea on Saturday.
As Arshad proved in spades during the Paris 2024 Olympics, powering his way to golden glory following an epic 92.7m toss of his javelin, he has become a mascot for national pride. With an inevitable rendition of Dil Dil Pakistan (our de facto shot of joy) echoing through the stadium as South Korea's small Pakistani community cheered him on, the wave of tears and celebrations spreading throughout Arshad's hometown of Mian Channu showcased his already cemented heroic status. Arshad has done what few other Pakistani sportsmen have managed: he has proved that the Olympic victory that catapulted him to global fame last year was no shot-in-the-dark fluke.
Becoming the first Pakistani in 50 years to win a gold medal at the Asian Asian Athletics Championship, Arshad's latest achievement has spread a warm glow of contentment in its wake as the rest of the country shares in the vicarious joys of one man. It will come as little surprise that a handful of celebrities, too, have entered the fray as they ping congratulatory messages for Pakistan's athlete of the hour on social media.
Celebs say well done
Barzakh star Sanam Saeed took to her Instagram Stories to post a screenshot of Arshad's winning shot, tagging in the athlete and adding just one word: "Hero". Not to be outdone, Sanam's husband, actor and director Mohib Mirza, also registered his praise, taking to IG Stories to offer his own congratulations in Urdu as he penned, "Salaam hai, Bhai." Continuing in Urdu, he added, "Amazing!"
With IG Stories clearly being the preferred medium of choice and short and sweet being the motto, actor-singer Azaan Sami Khan posted a similar victorious photo of Arshad socials. Unlike Sanam and Mohib, Azaan did not use words; instead, he relied on a simple crown emoji underneath as he, along with the rest of the nation, metaphorically labelled Arshad the undisputed king of javelin. If a picture says a thousand words, so can an emoji.
Proving that the javelin has well and truly entered the popular consciousness, possibly overtaking cricket for however long Arshad's career continues, singer-songwriter Farhan Saeed also turned to IG Stories to publicly mark his pride at the sportsman's latest milestone. Pasting a screenshot of a sports headline, Farhan's post read, "Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem wins gold at [the] Asian Athletics Championship, defeating Indian competitor in [the] men's javelin final." The musician sealed his post with just one more word that summed it all up: "Congratulations." As the icing on the cake, the Maula singer added a Pakistani flag emoji.
Everyone else joins in
Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, you would have been hard pressed to find a bystander knowing or caring enough about the javelin beyond the fact that it is a large, heavy pointy stick – but of course, Arshad changed all that with one mighty throw and awakened a frenzy in a country where frenzy was typically reserved for team sports, and not track and field. Now, of course, all it takes is one post from Arshad himself for a newfound crew of javelin lovers to flood social media with their words of praise.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, Arshad himself posted a reel of his performance and wrote, "This victory belongs to the Almighty first - His blessings, His will. Without His grace, none of this would be possible."
Remembering to thank his crew and loved ones not unlike any athlete would in a post-victory press conference (for social media has surely become an extension of press conferences for any successful athlete), Arshad remembered to add, "To my coaches, my team, my family, and every Pakistani who prayed for methis medal is yours. Your support fuels my journey. Let's keep rising for our beloved nation! Insha'Allah, more to come."
Racking up over 114,000 likes in just a day on Instagram (and over 19,000 hearts on X), the comments section of Arshad's posts are now replete with messages of congratulations from his followers.
"Pakistan's Ronaldo," penned one fan fondly, as another wrote on X, "What a legend. Congratulations." Pinning all hopes for the country on Arshad's capable shoulders (or rather, his right arm), yet another fan on Instagram noted, "King never disappoints us. You are inspiring multiple generations with the accolades you bring to your nation."
A dig at India
With Arshad's direct opponent, Sachin Yadav of India, walking away with a silver medal, it would be inconceivable that no one would bring up this irresistibly juicy fact in the comments section – although the highlight should go to one refreshingly un-salty Indian fan intent on spreading positivity.
"Arshad Nadeem is number 1, with love from India!" wrote the fan alongside an Indian flag emoji.
"Finally Indians have admitted that they lost the war," added another fan, unable to resist bringing up the events of May still fresh in everyone's minds.
Predictably, Pakistani fans, with their expertise in using memes to extract maximum hilarity in any situation, rose to the occasion – yes, even here where no humour was needed to act as a bandaid. The "disappointed cricket fan" meme (featuring the infamously appalled man in a chequered shirt and gilet turning away in disgust) made its usual appearance in Arshad's comments section, with a fan added the explanatory caption (in case you missed it), "The entire Indian community right now."
Is it fair to hold one man – Arshad – responsible for collective national happiness? As any cricketer will tell you, there is only one answer here (and it is not "yes"). But what nobody can dispute is that king of javelin throwers that he is, Arshad aims for the heart of the nation. And so far, he hasn't missed.
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