Pakistan, June 1 -- There was beauty in the arc of Arshad Nadeem's javelin-86.40 meters of defiance hurled across a stadium in South Korea. For the spectators, it might have seemed like rising against gravity, yet for those who are aware of his personal journey, this was a resounding delivery against a system that had no business producing a champion. A nation perpetually starving for some feel-good headlines would jump to claim the gold he clinched at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championship as Pakistan's victory. Alas! Reality dictates it is his and his alone. And that should haunt us. Forever.

Do we really need a reminder of how for every Arshad who emerges through sheer force of will, thousands more are left behind: unnoticed by scouts ...