Excellence is a fine line that separates athletes from turning their Olympic dreams into a reality. Every fraction of a second faster, every centimeter farther is a form of perfection crafted over years to culminate in a single moment of athletic supremacy, which is what Olympians are made of.

Seven of Pakistan’s best athletes will be walking out — or rather, floating down the Seine— at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Seven is a small number for a contingent representing almost 250 million people, but our national athletes must not be made the subject of misplaced criticism that should be directed at relevant institutions responsible for athletic performance in the country.

Pakistan’s sporting glory is a bygone era unknown to the contingent walking out in Paris. But every sprint, every shot, and every throw is a chance at regaining what has faded into oblivion. Tonight, let’s give our athletes a standing ovation as they etch their names in the history books.

Arshad Nadeem — Athletics

Men’s Javelin Throw, August 6, 8

Only the most extraordinary athletes in the world can keep replacing one dream with the next, and the next, and the next. Arshad Nadeem would know what that’s like, after a historic direct qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and a monumental gold medal and games record at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and a ground-breaking silver medal at the 2023 World Athletic Championships.

He already stormed his way into the elite 90 metre club two years ago, something his fellow South Asian rival Neeraj Chopra hasn’t gained access to yet. But the 26-year-old mop-haired Indian sensation is the reigning Olympic Champion, which is what Nadeem has his eyes on heading into Paris.

Shouldering the nation’s expectations for an Olympic medal after 35 years is no pressure for the 6’3“ javelin powerhouse who has gracefully navigated an athletic supremacy never known to any Pakistani athlete.

If anything, he’s riding on their prayers to throw beyond his personal best of 90.18m, which he hopes will land him a podium finish.

“Something I get asked a lot in interviews is who exactly I’m competing against, and I always say I’m competing against Arshad Nadeem.”

The 27-year-old is in peak shape right now after bouncing back from multiple injuries and surgeries, with his fourth place, 84.21m throw at the Paris Diamond League this month a solid indication of his potential at the Games.

“I’ll be ecstatic if I win gold, because the goals we’ve set, the training we’ve done all year, we’ll reap the rewards of that.”

Faiqa Riaz

Women’s 100m, August 2

Faiqa Riaz will only have 12 seconds to represent Pakistan at the Olympics, but that’s what she wants. The Paris-bound sprinter will be chasing down the 100m national record which she’s on track for after unofficially clocking 11.70 earlier this year.

“It feels incredible to be going to the Olympics; it’s always been my dream, and now I’m going to fulfill it.” All the stars aligned for the 24-year-old to make her Olympic debut alongside her idol, Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who’ll be competing at her fifth successive Games.

Riaz was initially a hockey player before seamlessly transitioning to athletics in 2017, where she’s found success and satisfaction in the sport to become Pakistan’s fastest woman.

Her limitless ambition was fostered by a family that encouraged her to chase her dreams and never once reeled her in. The local sprint queen is no stranger to setting goals and achieving them, having already zoomed through a Masters degree in Accounting and Finance, which is uncommon for Olympians.

Ghulam Mustafa Bashir — Shooting

Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, August 4

Walking out with the Pakistan contingent will be an all-too familiar feeling for Ghulam Mustafa Bashir as he heads into his third consecutive Olympic Games in Paris, this time with an Olympic medal on the horizon.

Bashir has already claimed bragging rights after winning Pakistan’s first ever shooting medal with a bronze at the 2022 World Championships in his signature event, Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol.

The veteran shooter has gracefully ascended the ladder of success to land at No. 18 in the world rankings. The feat is no surprise considering he became national champion within two years of taking up the sport — “it feels a bit extraordinary to have done that”— while others make it to the top in four or five years.

As the face of Pakistani marksmanship this past decade, Bashir has seen fledglings like Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat enrich the national team at an age much younger than when he made his debut in the sport.

“I want that the next generation remembers who we are, because if we don’t pass on the torch then the flame of this sport dies with us. No one will know about this sport and its glory.”

While he’s grateful for top-notch training facilities and equipment in Pakistan, the seasoned shooter holds immense gratitude for his modest background.

“If you end up getting everything you want —you get the best coach, the best facilities— then all your struggles are over; then what will you work hard for?”

Gulfam Joseph

10m Air Pistol Men, July 27 | 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Event, July 29

Gulfam Joseph is heading into Paris guns blazing for a shot at a podium finish at his second Olympic Games.

The suave 24-year-old has a surge of confidence this time, and he’s trying to move up the ranking in the 10m Air Pistol after placing ninth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Extraordinary talent has gotten the marksman as far as he’s come, but he owes it to the world-class shooting facilities in Pakistan and complete dedication of the shooting federation to its athletes that’s gotten him and his compatriots to this point.

But he’s disheartened that these top-notch facilities aren’t nearly as populated as they should be, which reflects in the paltry Pakistani contingent featuring in Paris. Still, the two-time Olympian hopes the team will eventually swell to its double-digit strength and former sporting glory.

Joseph is smack dab in the middle of being an inspiration to and being inspired by his two teammates, with a particular brotherly protectiveness and pride for Kishmala.

“I see so much of myself in her,” said Joseph, who was hardly 21 himself when he made it to his first Olympic Games. The duo will be competing in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, which awarded them a bronze medal at the Asian Shooting Championships this year.

Kishmala Talat — Shooting

10m Air Pistol Women, July 27 | 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team, July 29 | 25m Pistol Women, Aug 2

Making it to Paris 2024 was no shot in the dark for Kishmala Talat, the 22-year-old who etched her name in the history books as the first ever Pakistani woman to directly qualify for the Olympics.

She’s locked and loaded for a record three events at her Olympic debut, the most for any athlete in the contingent. Talat featured in an identical schedule at the Asian Shooting Championships earlier this year which saw her take home a bronze and silver medal that punched her ticket to Paris.

Talat has been blessed with a large family —parents, siblings, teammates, coaches— who knew it was in her kismat to become an Olympian well before she believed in her own capabilities.

She took her cue from Gulfam and GM Bashir and opened the door wide open for female athletes to realise that their Olympic dreams are more palpable than they know.

“You can only have winning movements when you have women participating equally, or they’re equally qualified. That’s how you win championships.”

Gender inequality in Pakistan is an infinite cosmos, but Kishmala Talat is working to close that gap one shot at a time.

Ahmed Durrani — Swimming

Men’s 200m Freestyle, July 28

Less than four months after breaking the 200m Freestyle national record, Ahmed Durrani wants to repeat the feat in Paris. “Obviously there’s some nerves going into it, but I’m really excited; I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to represent Pakistan.”

As the youngest athlete of the contingent, 18-year-old Durrani is hoping to inspire the next generation after turning his childhood dreams into a reality. His own swimming idol is Tokyo 2020 Olympian Haseeb Tariq, who “paved the way for everyone else and was the guy you had to beat.”

Durrani already has his eyes set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, which he hopes to qualify for directly compared to a wild card entry in Paris.

It’s a lofty goal that has evaded every Pakistani swimmer so far, but with nearly 20 national records under his belt while juggling four hours of daily training and rigorous schoolwork, the sky’s the limit for the humble teenager.

His other goal of ranking in the Top 3 South Asian swimmers is very well on the cards if he manages a podium finish at next year’s South Asian Games.

Durrani is lucky enough to be making his Olympic debut in front of his biggest fans.“I wouldn’t be able to compete without them,” he said of his family who’ve flown to Paris with him. “They’ve been here for the whole journey, so they might as well be there when I’m at the finish line.”

He has an extra layer of gratitude for his mother, who he thinks is more excited for him becoming an Olympian than he is, especially after waking up at 4am to drive him to endless swim practices.

“I just want her to know how much it means to me that she was there; I wouldn’t be here without her, she’s been my biggest pillar.”

Jehanara Nabi — Swimming

200m Freestyle, July 28

Becoming an Olympian was always something of a pipe dream for Jehanara Nabi, until it wasn’t. Eight years, 26 international medals and a heaping pile of national records later, her Olympic dreams are finally a reality.

The 20-year-old’s Olympic debut will have an extra kick to it as the contingent’s flag-bearer alongside javelin icon Arshad Nadeem.

Her time to shine in Paris will come in the 200m Freestyle, whose national record she’s retained and smashed over and over again in recent years.

Going to the Olympics became a lot more palpable for Nabi after being awarded the coveted World Aquatics scholarship to train at Thanyapura, the global training centre in Thailand turning national phenoms into world-class swimmers.

It’s definitely been a leg-up for Nabi to be based in Thailand these past five years, where she’s had the chance to train and compete in regional meets far more frequently than she would’ve been able to in Pakistan, that offers a dearth of facilities to its very best athletes.

Paris will be a full-circle moment for Nabi as she makes a splash in front of her parents, who taught her how to swim when she was three years old.