CHENNAI: Around 13 years ago when Rashid Ahmad Saqi saw Arshad Nadeem, he was convinced the tall teenager could become a world beater if groomed properly. In a local school-level meet at Mian Channu in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, the 14-year-old Arshad was competing in almost all the track and field events but it was his gold medal exploits in javelin throw and shot put that impressed coach Saqi the most.
Arshad might be competing in the athletics competition but his dream then was to become a fast bowler. It all changed that day as Saqi took Arshad under his wings to hone his skills as a javelin thrower. “He was tall with broad shoulders. I knew he could be a world-class javelin thrower, so I started training him,” Arshad’s childhood coach told this daily.
Saqi, whose father migrated to Pakistan from Gurdaspur after partition in 1947, owns a hotel and restaurant in the city. A sports connoisseur, who played several sports in his youth, Saqi lent a helping hand whenever Arshad, hailing from a modest background, faced financial constraints.
“When I started coaching him, the first advice I gave him was to keep character intact. To date, he is abiding by it. He never walks ahead of me whenever we are together, always opens the car doors when I get out of the vehicle and lets me take the seat first before doing so. This is the amount of respect he gives to me. He has got this humility and that’s why the almighty has given him that success.”
Nadeem not only shattered the Olympic record with his 92.97m throw on Thursday night but also became the first individual athlete from Pakistan to win a gold medal at the Games.
