Pakistan's Olympic javelin champion, Arshad Nadeem, was showered with accolades on Tuesday as the Pakistan's Punjab government presented him with a 10 million rupee cash prize and a new car. (More Sports News)
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz personally visited Nadeem's hometown of Mian Chunnu to congratulate him and his family for the historic gold medal win at the Paris Olympics.
Expressing gratitude, Nawaz stated that Nadeem's achievement has brought immense joy and pride to the nation.
Flanked by a beaming couple – Nadeem's parents – Nawaz handed over the keys of a brand new car to the ace athlete. To mark his world-record gold-winning feat, the number plate of the car was specially customized to reflect the distance – 92.97 meters – that the 22-year-old Pakistani had covered on August 8 in Paris.
The deputy commissioner accompanying Maryam Nawaz revealed that cash prize and car were expedited at the insistence of the Chief Minister so that Nadeem could be met at the earliest. The number plate was also one of her special demands.
As a further gesture of appreciation, a cheque for 50 lakh rupees was presented to Nadeem's coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, before the Chief Minister departed for Lahore.
Nadeem's victory ended a 40-year gold medal drought for Pakistan, with the last gold coming from the men's hockey team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
(With PTI Inputs)
