Tag: Arshad Nadeem

When Arshad Nadeem arrived in Birmingham on July 30 to participate in the Commonwealth Games, no one expected gold from him. The fact that he was suffering from an elbow injury was far less distressing than the fact that he was not accompanied by any coach to assist him at the mega event. Yet, he created history in the event.

With a throw of 90.18 metres in the final, he not only won Pakistan’s first-ever gold medal in the javelin throw competition but also set a new record in Commonwealth Games history, that too with an injured elbow but unwavering determination.

With his remarkable feat, Arshad became the first South Asian athlete to manage above 90 metres throw in the Javelin. Pakistan won its first gold in Commonwealth Games athletics after a gap of 60 years. Earlier in the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games, Pakistani athlete Ghulam Raziq won the gold medal in the 120 yards hurdles.

In the Javelin throw final, Arshad had to compete against Anderson Peters, the reigning world champion from Grenada, the biggest obstacle between him and the gold medal.

The Pakistani athlete’s first throw stunned everyone as he was dominating the competition after the first four rounds. He was sailing comfortably towards the victory when Peters dampened his enthusiasm in the final round with a throw of 88.64 metres.

Hopes were dashed and the gold medal seemed to be a distant dream before Arshad Nadeem turned the tables in his final throw. He gathered the courage, defied the injury and threw the javelin with all his force to breach the 90 metres mark.

When the javelin throw final started, Arshad recorded his personal best with 86.81 meters throw in the first round. His second attempt went unsuccessful due to a foul. In the third attempt, Arshad then bettered his own record by throwing the javelin 88 meters away, but what he did in the fifth throw was just unimaginable.

Pakistan bagged eight medals overall in the Commonwealth Games 2022 held in Birmingham. Shah Hussain Shah won Pakistan’s first medal in Judo. Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt claimed gold in weightlifting while Arshad Nadeem won gold in the javelin. Five medals were won by Pakistan in various wrestling competitions as well.

READ: Arshad Nadeem defies injury to bag historic gold for Pakistan in CWG 2022

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan’s ace athlete Arshad Nadeem revealed that he missed his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra’s presence in the Commonwealth Games after he bagged a historic gold medal in the men’s javelin throw final, here on Monday.

Speaking to ARY News following his astounding feat the other day, Arshad shared his inspirational journey from the Tokyo Olympics to creating history in the Commonwealth Games and stated that it was a matter of great pride for him to win a gold for Pakistan for the first time.

“I competed in international competitions for the first time since suffering an injury after the Tokyo Olympics. My targets were the Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships and Islamic Games,” he said.

“I’ve been working on my injury. Hopefully, I will earn more medals for Pakistan in the future”, hoped Arshad who defied an elbow and knee injury the other day to set the Commonwealth Games record with his magnificent throw of 90.18 metres.

“When I made an 88 metres throw and after (Anderson) Peters threw as well, I feel more motivated that there is still throw left in me and I can do that,” said Arshad as he beat World Atheltic Champion, Grenada’s Anderson Peter who threw a distance of 88.64m to finish second in the CWG final.

While he also surpassed Neeraj Chopra’s Tokyo Olympics throw of 87.58m, the 25-year-old Arshad revealed that he has been friends with the Indian javelin star and claimed that he felt his absence during the Games.

“Injuries are part and parcel of the game. If Neeraj was here, it would’ve been more exciting. I pray for his recovery and wish him luck for his next competition” he added.

Moreover, the star athlete expressed the joy that he won the medal at a time when the country’s independence was just around the corner and stated that the whole nation would celebrate the 14th August with the medals this time.

READ: Australia edge India to make Commonwealth Games cricket history

BIRMINGHAM: National athlete and Olympian Arshad Nadeem shone at the final of the Javelin throw despite the injury to claim a historic gold medal for Pakistan in the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022.

Arshad, who earned the direct qualification to the finals of the Javelin throw, set a new record to claim a historic gold medal for Pakistan.

The star athlete, coping with an elbow and knee injury, stunned his competitors with a national and Commonwealth Games record throw of 90.18 metres.

Arshad succeeded to throw at 86.81 in his first attempt in the final, which was his career-best throw and a new national record for Pakistan until his fifth attempt at the event.

In his third attempt, Arshad bettered his newly-set record as he threw at 88 metres. However, remained unable to carry the same momentum in his fourth as he could only amass 85.70 metres.

Following his slump, Arshad’s opponent Anderson Peters managed to dethrone the former from the top position in the standings as he threw 88.64 metres.

Arshad, however, did not hold back and stunned his competitor with an astounding throw of 90.18 metres and yet again bettered his own record to get his hands on the Commonwealth Games gold.

It is worth noting that Arshad is Pakistan’s first gold medalist in Commonwealth Games athletics since 1962.

Furthermore, the 25-year-old athlete is the second gold medalist for Pakistan in the ongoing Games after weightlifter Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt.

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BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan’s ace athlete Arshad Nadeem seemed hopeful for another sensational performance in today’s action-packed men’s javelin throw final in the Commonwealth Games 2022.

In a video message ahead of today’s final, Arshad stated that he would try his best to produce an exceptional performance in the contest and urged the whole nation to pray for his success.

The 25-year-old javelin star will be seen in action today alongside 12 other competitors in the final including the two-times World Athletics Champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

“I have worked hard for the event despite the elbow and knee injury. I will try my best to perform well in today’s final,” he said.

“People of Pakistan have always showered love on me and I ask them to pray for me today as well” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Arshad created history for Pakistan as he became the first athlete from the country to reach a final at World Athletics Cham­pionships. Whereas, he finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

READ: ‘If I have to go through this pain again for Pakistan, I won’t hesitate’ Akhtar

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan’s ace athlete Arshad Nadeem has reached Birmingham from London to participate in the Javelin-throw event at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

Arshad, who secured the fifth position in the recently held World Athletics Championships, will officially start his Commonwealth campaign on August 5 with the qualifying round of the javelin-throw competition.

Arshad underwent the registration process and mandatory Covid-19 testing at the Games’ welcome centre after he reached here. He was then moved to Shackelton Village after returning a negative corona test.

“I am satisfied with my performance in the Athletics Championships. I have prepared well for the  Commonwealth Games,” said Arshad on the occasion.

He also requested the whole nation to pray for his success at the event.

It is pertinent to mention here that Arshad created history for Pakistan as he became the first athlete from the country to reach a final at World Athletics Cham­pionships. Whereas, he finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

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EUGENE: Pakistan’s ace athlete Arshad Nadeem secured the fifth position in the men’s javelin throw final at World Athletics Championships held in Oregon, United States. 

According to the details, the 25-year-old athlete managed a throw of 86.16 meters, his best throw of the season in the final to finish in the top five.

Whereas, Grenada’s Anderson Peters bagged his second gold at the world championships, while, Olympic champion India’s Neeraj Chopra finished in second place with a throw of 88.13 meters as Peters made his last attempt throw of 90.54m to retain his javelin throw title.

Meanwhile, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch bagged a bronze medal in the competition.

It is worth mentioning here that Arshad created history for Pakistan as he became the first athlete from the country to reach a final at World Athletics Cham­pionships. Whereas, he finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

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EUGENE: Pakistani ace athlete Arshad Nadeem qualified for the final of the men’s javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships with his season-best throw of 81.71 metres at the Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon on Friday.

According to the details, Arshad became the first Pakistani to make his way to the Athletics  Championships final after he finished fourth in Group B with his third-attempt throw.

Meanwhile, defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenda topped the qualifying charts in men’s javelin with a throw of 89.91m while India’s Neeraj Chopra secured the second spot with 88.39m throw.

Whereas, Germany’s Julian Webber (87.28m) and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (85.23m), were the other two throwers who breached the automatic qualifying cut of 83.50 set for the competition.

Arshad will now compete with 11 other qualifiers in the final of the men’s javelin throw slated for July 23.

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s javelin-thrower Arshad Nadeem suffered a right-arm injury during training and will undergo surgery in the United Kingdom (UK).

Arshad, who is currently training under the supervision of an international level coach in South Africa, suffered an injury to his right arm and will undergo surgery.

The international sports physio was working on the injury sustained by Arshad during his training and advised the latter to undergo surgery.

The 25-years-old athlete will travel to the UK for surgery after the conclusion of the upcoming Commonwealth Games and World Athletic Championship, the President of the Pakistan Athletic Federation Muhammad Akram Sahi confirmed.

Arshad, on the other hand, opined about his injury and surgery by claiming that he will be ‘super fit’ for the forthcoming Paris Olympics, scheduled in 2024.

“I will be super fit after the surgery so I will be looking to win a medal for Pakistan in the upcoming Olympics, which is going to be held in Paris,” Arshad said.

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s javelin-thrower Arshad Nadeem has flown to South Africa for training under the supervision of the World Athletics Coach, here on Thursday.

Ahead of his departure to South Africa for international level training, Arshad showed his gratitude towards the sports federation.

“I am thankful to the federation for arranging the international level training,” he said.

“President of the Federation Akram Sahi has done his best to provide an opportunity for me to train under the supervision of the world athletic coach,” Arshad added.

Furthermore, the star athlete Arshad expressed happiness and also thanked Pakistan Sports Board and Sports Board Punjab for providing the facilities in the camp.

“Pakistan Sports Board and Sports Board Punjab provided excellent facilities in the camp,” he said.

The star athlete also vows to fill the gaps left in his Olympics performance, while aiming to perform well in the upcoming world athletics and other events.

“After performing well in the Olympics, the goal is to perform well in world athletics and others,” he said.

“I will try to get a medal by filling the gap left in the Olympics,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Arshad provided a glimmer of hope of a rare Olympic medal last year in June. In the Group-B stage of the Tokyo Olympics, the athlete topped the ranking chart, however, remained unlucky in the final stage.

The athlete could not deliver on the final stage and finished at the fifth position. India’s Neeraj Chopra won the Gold-medal.

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Lahore: Arshad Nadeem once dreamed of becoming a star cricketer, but after switching to athletics he has the opportunity to grab Pakistan’s first individual Olympic medal in more than 30 years.
“Right now there is a chance for me,” Nadeem told AFP as he prepared for next month’s Covid-delayed Tokyo Games.
“If I throw my best then, God willing, I will win a medal.”
Since its first Olympics in London in 1948, Pakistan have won three gold, three silver and two bronze medals in field hockey.

Read: Javelin Throw World Rankings: Arshad Nadeem claims third spot

The bronzes won by wrestler Mohammad Bashir in Rome in 1960 and boxer Hussain Shah in Seoul in 1988 are Pakistan’s only individual Olympic medals.
But ahead of next month’s games, Nadeem has the world’s sixth-best javelin throw of the year — a personal best 86.38 metres achieved in April in Iran, where he was forced to travel in order to seek top-flight competition.
The strapping 24-year-old, who ditched cricket for athletics as a teenager, will face tougher opponents in Tokyo, but he said he won’t be fazed.
“I don’t look at any of the other javelin throwers… I don’t focus on them,” he said after a training session in Lahore.
“I focus on myself and how I throw and I try my best — and that is how God honours me.”

Family first 

Nadeem already has a taste for gold, having stood atop the podium at last year’s South Asian Games in Nepal.
He took bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games behind gold-winner Neeraj Chopra of India, the farmer’s son who has thrown the third-longest distance this year.
It hasn’t been an easy path for the 1.87 metre-tall (six feet two inches) Nadeem, who comes from a village in a wheat and cotton-producing area of Punjab.
With sons and daughters put to work early, he had little time for his first love, cricket, and facilities and proper training were scarce.
Despite the difficulties, Nadeem shone as an all-rounder. “I was good,” he said.
“There was a chance for me to be part of the national team, but conditions were such that I couldn’t do it.”
On the advice of a brother, Nadeem turned to athletics — which took less time than days-long cricket matches — trying his hand at a variety of events.
“There was shot put, javelin, discus, hammer, long jump, high jump and triple jump,” he said.
“I even ran in the 100 metres, 200 metres and relay — and thankfully I won about seven to nine events at divisional level.”
Nadeem’s big break came in 2015 when he was taken on by Pakistan’s water and power board, a government authority with a modest budget for nurturing sports talent.
There he was taken under the wing of coach Fayaz Hussain Bukhari.
“He threw well so we gave him a job,” said Bukhari, who has been Nadeem’s coach ever since.

‘Good learner’ 

Still, sacrifices had to be made in order to produce a world-class athlete — not least in getting the right diet.
“Yes, food is a big problem… But that is something that needs to be dealt with as part of life,” he said.
Bukhari said getting Nadeem in the right condition for the Games had been difficult during the pandemic.
“Training is the real challenge. He sat at home for a year because of corona,” said the coach.
“All the gyms and stadiums were closed. I had to work him hard to bring him to a point where he could compete and win again.”
Bukhari, who is paid just 15,000 rupees a month (around $100) to look after his charge, said Nadeem was a great student.
“He trains well and is a good learner,” he said, adding: “We are going to do our best, and the rest is in God’s hands.”
Whatever the result in Tokyo, Nadeem knows he can count on the support from his family and neighbours.
“We have a small village which has become famous not just in all of Pakistan but the entire world because of Arshad Nadeem,” he said.
“They are very happy.”