Athlete Arshad Nadeem kept Pakistan’s hopes of its maiden medal at Tokyo Olympics alive after qualifying for the final of the javelin throw.
Weightlifter Talha Talib had won the nation’s hearts by competing brilliantly even though he failed to secure a medal, while now Arshad Nadeem has become the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event at the Olympics.
Tokyo Olympics performance
Nadeem’s throw of 85.16 metres was the third-best of the day behind India’s Neeraj Chopra (86.65m) and world leader Germany’s Johannes Vetter (85.64m).
The 24-year-old thrower finished above Germany’s Julian Weber and Czech’s Jakub Vadlejch to win his group and a place in the medal round — a performance that got his coach out of his seat applauding.
Nadeem will be joined by Finland’s Lassi Eteltalo, whose first attempt of 84.50m, a season’s best, granted him passage to the medal round.
The 2012 Olympic champion and bronze medallist five years ago in Rio, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago failed to advance, as he fell short with a throw of 79.33m.
Nadeem has a personal-best throw of 86.38m, which he achieved in April during his gold medal run at the Imam Raza Athletics Cup in Iran.
He is one of the few Pakistani athletes to secure direct qualification for Olympics, thanks to his gold medal-winning throw at South Asian Games in December 2019.
Early life
Arshad Nadeem belongs to Mian Channu, a small city in Khanewal District, Punjab. He is the third eldest among five brothers.
Arshad was an exceptionally versatile athlete from his early school years. He had a passion for cricket and played at district-level tape-ball tournaments. During grade seven in school, Arshad caught the eye of Rasheed Ahmad Saqi during an athletics competition.
Arshad also pursued shot-put and discus throw before option for javelin throw. He secured gold medals in javelin throw in successive Punjab Youth Festivals and an inter-board competition. He received offers from domestic athletics teams, including Army, Air Force and WAPDA to play on the national stage.
Career
In May 2017, Nadeem won a bronze medal with a best throw of 76.33 metres at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku. In April 2018, he set a new personal best of 80.45 metres in the qualification round of the javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia.
In August 2018, he won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he set a new personal best and national record of 80.75m.
As the only Pakistani athlete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Nadeem achieved a new personal best and national record of 81.52m. In November 2019, Nadeem set a national record when he recorded an 83.65 metre throw to win gold for WAPDA at the 33rd National Games in Peshawar.
In December 2019, he won a gold medal with an 86.29 metre throw at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal. This was a new South Asian Games record in Javelin throw and secured him direct qualification to 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Pakistan has sent ten athletes to the Tokyo Olympics but nine of them failed to secure a place on the winning podium. Now Arshad Nadeem remains the last hope as he prepares for the final on August 7 and has asked for the nation’s prayers to earn laurels for his nation.
