Arshad Nadeem meets UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov at World Sports Summit

Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem met former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in Dubai during the World Sports Summit.

Nadeem shared a photo of the encounter on social media platform Facebook, captioning it: "Meeting Khabib at the World Sports Summit."

Earlier, the 28-year-old also met FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who expressed familiarity with Nadeem's achievements. During the interaction, Infantino inquired about Nadeem's throwing distance. 

"It was a 92-metre throw, and now I want to break that record," Nadeem told the football chief. Infantino praised the Pakistani athlete and posed for photographs with him, a gesture that pleasantly surprised the Olympic champion.

Earlier this week, Nadeem was honoured with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award in the Global Breakthrough Athlete category at the summit. 

The accolade recognised his historic performance at the Paris Olympics, where he clinched the gold medal with a record-breaking throw of 92.97m, surpassing Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen's 16-year-old Olympic record. 

This achievement marked Pakistan's first-ever Olympic gold in javelin throw.

Speaking after the ceremony, Nadeem described the award as a moment of immense pride for himself and the country. 

He noted that international recognition would inspire young athletes and help promote javelin throw in Pakistan. 

He added that his next major targets are the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, saying the prestigious accolade from the Dubai government had given him renewed confidence and motivation.

In an interview with Geo News during the summit, Nadeem emphasised that sharing the platform with global sports stars was a source of pride for Pakistan. 

"The encouragement I have received here strengthens an athlete's belief. Confidence and motivation are what a sportsman needs the most," he said, highlighting the role such recognition plays in pushing athletes to aim higher.