After a four-month hiatus, Arshad Nadeem begins training for Diamond League

Following a marathon spell of celebrations and much-needed rest, Pakistan's Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem has resumed his training in Lahore.

"Yes, I have started training," Arshad told Nukta.

Earlier, Arshad's coach Salman Butt also confirmed to this correspondent that the athlete has started training in Punjab’s capital.

It's a welcome news for the entire nation that the country's rare talent will be seen in action again in the coming months following his superb display in this year's Paris Olympics in which he broke the Games record by managing a huge throw of 92.97 meter.

It was the first medal for Pakistan after 32 years in the Olympics and the first gold after 40 years as Pakistan had last snared gold in hockey way back in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. This was also Pakistan's first-ever medal in athletics at the Olympics stage.

He was adequately rewarded by both the state and corporate sector besides receiving a decent purse from the World Athletics.

Now his new training stint is for a purpose. Arshad had won silver medal in the 2023 World Championship in Budapest. And now he will be eying a gold in the World Championship to be hosted by Tokyo in September 2025.

The global event usually is held in August but due to extreme hot in this month in Japan the event has been slightly delayed by the World Athletics and would be held in September.

But before this Arshad will be featuring in the Diamond League which will begin from April 26. The Diamond League, which comprises a series of events spanning over few months, is attended by the world's top javelin throwers. And this event is so important as it will help Arshad and other javelin throwers from around the world to prepare for the Tokyo World Championship.

Being an Olympic champion there will be a pressure on Arshad during the next four-year cycle until the Olympics 2028 which will be held in Los Angeles.

But he is an athlete of an immense potential and the best thing in him is that he is very good in competition.

He has set a bench mark with a super throw of 92.97m in Paris and, if he is able to keep himself around 90 meter and plus, he can easily win the World Championship which will add to his achievements.

More medals to come?

Having won golds in the Commonwealth Games, Islamic Games and Paris Olympics, Arshad is yet to get golds in a few more major events. Besides the World Championship, he also will need to claim a gold in the Asian Games.

In the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia Arshad lifted bronze. He had a chance to lift gold in the last year's Hangzhou Asian Games but fitness issues forced him to stay away from the quadrennial spectacle. He decided to skip it just a few hours before the event after his medical report was not right.

Arshad's decade-long career shows that the Mian Channu-born athlete made steady growth and he rarely returned empty-handed from any international event before eventually making the nation proud with Olympic gold.

This was the fourth Olympic gold and the first in individual sports for Pakistan as hockey team has to its credit three Olympic golds.

Arshad also skipped the National Championship held a few days ago in Multan as he had not trained and the authorities did not want to take unnecessary risk in playing him without achieving top fitness level.

Arshad also has been invited by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to grace the opening ceremony of the Quaid-e-Azam Games which will begin at the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad from December 13 (tomorrow).