In order to prepare for a busy international calendar over the next 14 months the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) plans to send its top athletes to Russia in October for a month-long training camp.
Reliable sources told Nukta that while AFP has finalized the arrangements, the tour is subject to approval from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and release of necessary funds.
To minimize costs AFP has also secured a waiver for coaching and facility usage fees during the athletes’ stay in Russia.
The five athletes shortlisted for the trip include Pakistan’s No2 javelin thrower Yasir Sultan, emerging javelin talent Shehzad, female sprinter Tameen Khan, experienced 400m runner Shajar Abbas and high jumper Sharoz Khan, who will also be part of the touring party subject to his fitness clearance.
“The training camp will play a crucial role in helping these athletes sharpen their skills and better prepare for national duty,” an AFP official told this correspondent.
Challenging schedule
National athletes have to feature in a series of major international events in the coming months including the Islamic Games, South Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games.
Meanwhile Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is set to leave for London next week for training ahead of the World Athletics Championship which will take place in Tokyo this September. He will be accompanied by his coach Salman Butt.
Arshad is also scheduled to compete in the Diamond League’s Poland leg on August 16.
Additionally, AFP is aiming to send Yasir Sultan to South Korea next month to participate in the Asian Throwing Championship which also serves as a qualifying event for the World Championship. However, the federation is still awaiting a response from the PSB regarding funding for Yasir’s participation.
Yasir recently did not click at the Asian Athletics Championship in South Korea, an event where Arshad Nadeem won gold with a throw of 86.40 meters.
Yasir is now eyeing the Asian Throwing Championship as his final opportunity to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo. The qualification standard is 85.50 meters, which is well above Yasir’s personal best of 79.93 meters which earned him a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Championship in Bangkok.
Currently, Shajar Abbas and Yasir Sultan are training at the Punjab Stadium Lahore while sprinter Tameen Khan is based at the Qayyum Sports Complex Peshawar.
The Asian Throwing Championship represents a make-or-break moment for Yasir’s World Championship hopes.
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