Meet man who was homeless, trained with garbage as equipment, 36 years before Arshad Nadeem he was Pakistan’s…

Arshad Nadeem ended Pakistan’s 32-year medal drought at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 after winning the historic gold medal in the Javelin Throw event on August 8.  He scripted history by winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in athletics with a record throw of 92.97 metres.

Nadeem is the first Pakistani athlete to win an individual Olympic medal in 36 years. Prior to him, Pakistan's last individual Olympic medal was secured in Seoul 1988 by boxer Hussain Shah Syed.

He won the bronze medal in the Middleweight division (71–75 kg) at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.  

Born in Lyari, Karachi, Shah grew up under difficult circumstances. He used to live on the streets due to being homeless. He worked as a labourer to earn money. 

As he was not financially secure, Shah trained himself for boxing on the streets using trash bags as a replacement for punching bags.

His illustrious career also includes earning his first gold medal at the 1984 South Asian Games in Dhaka, along with Asghar Ali, Ilyas Ahmed, and Muhammad Yousaf.

At the 1987 edition of the Games in Kolkata, he has adjudged the 'best boxer'. He was Pakistan's first boxer to win a medal in Olympic boxing.

Shah, boasting a collection of five gold medals from the South Asian Games, enjoyed the prestige of being Asia's top boxer between 1980 and 1988. This level of achievement stands as a rare feat amongst Pakistani boxers.

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