When Arshad Nadeem struck gold in a thrilling Olympic javelin final on Thursday, Pakistan erupted with joy. Still, in his hometown of Mian Channu in Punjab province, Nadeem's mother had room to cheer on another athlete: his sporting rival and friend Neeraj Chopra.
Nadeem made history in Paris, setting an Olympic record and bagging Pakistan's first track and field medal in Olympic history with a gigantic 92.97m throw.
Her son's victory, Raziah Parveen told The National, prompted tears of happiness that took some time to ebb.
“We celebrated with great joy, drumming the dhol and revelling in the moment," she said.
But even in the wild scenes of joy as villagers watched the action on a projector hooked up on the back of a lorry, Ms Parveen spared a thought for Chopra.
“Winning and losing is a matter of luck. Neeraj beta [son] is Arshad's friend and brother, and he's like a son to me. I prayed for his win, too, and will continue to pray for his success in the future," she said.
Chopra threw 89.45m to claim the silver medal on Thursday. His mother also expressed happiness at the result.
"We are very happy with the silver, the one who got gold is also our child and the one who got silver is also our child," Saroj Devi told PTI Videos in Khandra, Panipat.
Pakistan and India are famously arch rivals when it comes to sport, but pride at South Asian nations establishing themselves on the world athletics stage has brought people together.
Chopra led the congratulations for his friend, saying Nadeem ”threw really well“.
Despite not being familiar with the sport, Mohammad Bilal, an auto-rickshaw mechanic in Mian Channu, was overjoyed by Arshad's victory.
“Arshad's win for Pakistan is truly exceptional. When he returns home, I'll show my respect by kissing his feet and we'll celebrate in a way we never have before," he said.
Prateek Rathi, a stockbroker and Olympic enthusiast in Delhi, told The National: "As an Indian, I’m immensely proud of Neeraj Chopra’s silver medal win. He’s consistently shown his talent on the global stage and this achievement is another milestone in his remarkable career.
"It’s also important to recognise Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan for his gold medal victory. This moment highlights the rising prominence of South Asian athletes in global sports."
Minakshi Bansal, assistant professor of political science and sociology at Asian Law College in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, said: "Both Neeraj and Arshad have made their nations proud and I’m excited to see how this healthy rivalry will continue to inspire excellence in athletics.”
Tough road to victory
Nadeem, 32, has spoken about his difficult journey to the Olympics, saying he had reached the top of the sport with no access to state of the art grounds or training facilities.
In March, it was revealed he had used the same javelin for seven years.
He has also used his platform to call for more funding for track and field athletes in Pakistan, saying: “In this day and age, you have to provide world-class facilities to develop athletes, as the competition is getting tougher and tougher. You can’t produce another Arshad without giving them those facilities.”
Participating in the Olympics and setting a record is a big achievement, said General Akram Sahi, President of the Pakistan Athletic Federation.
"Arshad Nadeem has made history and made all of Pakistan proud. We once had only a bronze medal in the Olympics, but now we also have a gold medal in hand.
"Despite a lack of resources and challenges, Pakistan's sportspeople have the potential to make the country proud.”
Pakistan has won only one other Olympic gold medal, in men's field hockey at Los Angeles in 1984.
The South Asian country won its last medal in 1992 in Barcelona, when the field hockey team claimed bronze.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
Sour%20Grapes
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Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
