Archive image of Olympic javelin gold medalist Arshad Nadeem celebrating with the Pakistani flag | Photo credit: Reuters

Arshad Nadeem, the gold medalist in javelin at the recently concluded Paris Games, said Pakistani women athletes need to be provided with modern facilities to enable them to perform at the highest level.

Since returning home with Pakistan’s first Olympic gold since 1984, Nadeem has been showered with cash prizes worth around Rs 280 million, cars and other gifts.

In the most recent case, the Governor of Punjab presented him with a cash prize of Rs 200,000 and a car on Saturday.

But beyond such personal gifts, Nadeem wanted the government to fulfill his wish for a modernized athletics stadium and a university for women in his hometown of Mian Channu.

“We urgently need opportunities for our women and also men to pursue higher education in our region and today young athletes must be provided with the best opportunities,” Nadeem told ARY news channel.

Nadeem, who appeared on the show with his wife Rashida, was also asked about the buffalo his father-in-law gave him for winning the Olympic gold medal.

The 27-year-old answered half-jokingly. “I was a little surprised by the announcement and wondered, since my father-in-law is very rich and owns a lot of land… if only he had given me 4-5 acres of farmland instead of the buffaloes,” he said with a smile.

Rashida said she knew about Nadeem’s injury problems before the Olympics but kept it secret from other family members.

“When he left for the Games, I couldn’t sleep for three days and just kept praying that he would stay fit and come back with a gold medal,” she said.

Nadeem’s long-time coach Salman Butt said the top javelin thrower will resume training in a month as he faces the difficult task of living up to people’s expectations.

“Arshad knows he has to work harder to maintain his position as the competition in javelin throwing is tough at the international level,” he said.