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Arshad Nadeem. (Photo credit: AP)
Arshad Nadeem joked that his father-in-law should have given him 5 to 6 acres of land, but buffaloes were also fine.
Arshad Nadeem was showered with cash and other valuable prizes after he became the first athlete from Pakistan to win an Olympic gold medal with his stunning performance of 92.97m in the men’s javelin throw final.
However, Arshad Nadeem’s father-in-law decided to gift the javelin-throwing champion a buffalo.
During a recent interaction with the media, Nadeem was asked about the gift. Arshad Nadeem said, “She (his wife) told me, I said buffalo? He should have given me 5-6 acres of land, but buffaloes are also fine. By God’s grace, he is so rich and has gifted me a buffalo.”
REGARD:
Muhammad Nawaz told local media in Nadeem’s village on Sunday that giving a buffalo as a gift is considered “very valuable” and “honorable” in their village.
“Nadeem is also very proud of his roots and despite his success, his village is still his home and he still lives with his parents and brothers,” said Nawaz.
The father-in-law added that he has four sons and three daughters and that his youngest daughter Ayesha is married to Nadeem.
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Hailing from the rural area of Khanewal in Punjab, Nadeem had very limited resources to train and travel abroad for competitions. His villagers and relatives donated money to enable him to compete abroad at a young age.
Nawaz also said that when he decided to marry his daughter to Nadeem, he was a man of limited means but had the hunger to succeed in sports, for which he trained in the fields of his village.
“When we decided to marry our daughter to Nadeem six years ago, he was doing small jobs and running errands but was extremely passionate about his sport and was constantly practicing javelin throwing at home and in the field,” Nawaz said.
Nawaz added that he was very happy with Nadeem’s success and fame and that the javelin thrower, who became the country’s first individual medalist, showed great respect to everyone.
“When he comes to us, he never complains about anything and eats whatever we have at home,” he said.
“Two of his children now attend the local primary school in the village, while one son is still very young.”
(With contributions from agencies)
