The untold story: How Arshad Nadeem's former coach discovered a champion

Pakistan's Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem has brought immense pride to the nation with his historic performance at the Paris Olympics last year. His record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters not only earned him the gold medal for Pakistan but also set a new Olympic record.

This achievement marked Pakistan's first-ever gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympics and the first in athletics.

Arshad’s journey was revisited by his former coach, Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari, who coached him for eight years. In an interview with Nukta, Bukhari shared how he discovered Arshad during trials for LESCO and helped him rise to prominence.

“In 2014, I became LESCO’s coach and attended a national championship as an assistant coach for WAPDA,” Bukhari said. “The following year, during athlete recruitment, Arshad participated in trials and threw about 54 meters. I recorded his throw as 56 meters and was questioned for it. But I stood by my decision because I saw potential in his strong physique.”

Bukhari took it upon himself to train Arshad. After six weeks, during another round of LESCO’s trials, Arshad achieved a throw of 66 meters.

Despite health setbacks, including stomach pain and low blood pressure, Arshad continued to improve, reaching 69 meters in an inter-unit competition and securing his spot on the WAPDA team.

"After four months, Arshad achieved a throw of over 70 meters at the National Championship in Islamabad, which secured him a spot in the national squad for the 2016 South Asian Games held in India," Bukhari shared. "In the event in India, Arshad recorded a throw of 78.33 meters, earning a bronze medal and setting a new record for Pakistan. Upon his return from India, he approached me and expressed his desire to begin training."

“Arshad also asked then AFP chief Major General (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi to officially appoint me as his coach. General Sahi agreed, and I continued working with Arshad,” he added.

Arshad went on to win bronze at the Asian Junior Championship in Vietnam and repeated the feat at the 2017 Islamic Games in Baku with a throw of 76.33 meters.

“We then traveled to India for the Asian Championship, where he achieved a 78-meter throw. That’s when we started planning to break the 80-meter mark,” Bukhari said.

“Before the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, an inter-unit event was organized in Islamabad, where he recorded a non-official throw exceeding 80 meters,” he added.

“I informed General Sahi that we had surpassed the 80-meter barrier and predicted that in two to three years, he would achieve an impressive throw. During the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, he set a national record with an 80.45-meter throw in the qualifying round. However, he could only manage 76.02 meters in the final, finishing eighth, as he was also dealing with an injury at the time,” he explained.

Bukhari was appointed as Arshad’s coach to accompany him to Jakarta for the Asian Games, where he delivered an 80.75-meter throw, earning a bronze medal and setting another national record.

“After Jakarta, we made a commitment to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics,” Bukhari revealed. In 2019, Arshad recorded a throw of 83.65 meters at the National Games in Peshawar, followed by an impressive 86.29 meters at the South Asian Games in Nepal, securing his Olympic qualification.

Despite opportunities for foreign training, Arshad chose to stick with Bukhari, even as he recorded an 81.52-meter throw at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Later, in an invitational event in Iran, Arshad achieved 86.38 meters. According to Bukhari, Arshad was capable of exceeding 90 meters but held back to save his best for the Tokyo Olympics.

“We were training for 90 meters and had plans to break the Olympic record, but external pressures hindered us in Tokyo. Still, it was a valuable learning experience for Arshad,” Bukhari said.

Reflecting on challenges faced during their journey, Bukhari expressed pride in his role in Arshad’s development.

When asked why he was removed from coaching despite Arshad’s success, he said, “Guiding Arshad to the Tokyo Olympics is an honor. I’ve shaped him as an athlete, and no one can deny that.”

Currently, Bukhari is training Pakistan’s No. 2 javelin thrower, Yasir Sultan, whom he believes will soon achieve throws of 85 meters or more.

“I’ve developed Yasir, and he’s ready to perform at that level,” he concluded.