Nadeem rewarded for record throw

ISLAMABAD — Olympic javelin gold medalist Arshad Nadeem received a total of 250 million rupees ($897,000) on Tuesday as Pakistan continued to celebrate his record-breaking throw at the Paris Games.

Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced 150 million rupees ($538,000) for Nadeem at a special ceremony to honor the star athlete in Islamabad. Sharif's announcement came hours after Punjab's chief minister Maryam Nawaz visited Nadeem's house, and presented him with a check for 100 million rupees.

Nawaz also handed him the keys to a new car, which has a special registration number of "PAK 92.97" to commemorate Nadeem's throw of 92.97 meters in Paris, which was an Olympic record. Nadeem's coach Salman Iqbal Butt was also given 5 million rupees.

"You have doubled the delight of 250 million Pakistanis because we'll also celebrate our Independence Day tomorrow," Sharif said while announcing the money for Nadeem, whose father is a daily wage laborer. "Today every Pakistani is happy and the morale of the whole country is sky high."

"The feeling is very good," Nadeem said Tuesday. "I hope to stay fit and break the world record one day."

Last Thursday, Nadeem set off celebrations across Pakistan when his throw easily surpassed the previous Olympic mark of 90.57 set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008.

It was also well clear of India's Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo champion, who reached a season-best 89.45 for silver.

"Arshad Nadeem has brought unprecedented happiness to the nation," Nawaz said in a statement.

Nadeem's Olympic gold is Pakistan's first since the men's field hockey team won 40 years ago at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Pakistan's last medal of any color was a field hockey bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Later Tuesday, Nadeem and his family were flown to Islamabad on a special flight from Multan to attend a reception hosted by Sharif, who paid tribute to the athlete during a cabinet meeting.

"Nadeem has elevated the name of Pakistan worldwide because of his days and nights of hard work, parents' prayers and coach's training," Sharif said.

Pakistan is predominantly known for cricket in the sporting world, with the country winning the 1992 World Cup.

"Seeing him on the podium waving the flag and ringing the Olympic bell was incredible," Pakistan cricket captain Shan Masood said on Tuesday, as he prepares for a Test series against Bangladesh, starting Aug 21 in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie said Nadeem will be invited to the dressing room of the Pakistan cricket team during the first Test match.

"Having him visit and share his gold medal with the team would be a fantastic boost, especially with the Olympic spirit still in the air," Gillespie said. "It was a wonderful moment."

A special postage stamp has also been issued in Nadeem's honor depicting his record throw.

Agencies via Xinhua