From Abid Usman
Lahore: Javelin superstar Arshad Nadeem arrived in his hometown Mian Channu to a hero’s welcome on Sun-day afternoon as crowds gathered to meet the Olympic champion.
Just hours earlier, Nadeem and his coach Salman Butt received a similar welcome at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, which was packed with hundreds of people crowded into the arrival area waiting to greet the new-found national hero.
Nadeem made history on Thursday after throwing a monstrous 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin throw final to shatter the Olympic record and bring home Pakistan’s first gold medal in 40 years, and first Olympic medal of any colour in 32 years.
In video footage obtained by Dawn, the 27-year-old can be seen waving to crowds thronged around the truck carrying him, with thick garlands hanging around his neck.
Large Pakistani flags could be seen among the crowd, alongside a sizeable police presence.
In another video, Nadeem can be seen being showered with petals as he walked through the crowd, with a dhol heard in the background. Mian Channu has been celebrating Nadeem’s triumph since Thursday night, where the event was broadcast live by a digital projector onto a screen hanging on the back of a truck. –Agencies
