Arshad Nadeem chooses England over home turf to chase Tokyo glory

Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is set to leave for London to undergo training for the World Athletics Championship slated to be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21.

Arshad’s coach Salman Butt will be accompanying the star athlete.

“Yes, we are going to London at the start of next week,” Arshad’s coach Salman Butt told Nukta on Monday.

“The basic purpose of the tour is to avail better training facilities in England and the weather there is also good. It will give us a good opportunity to train well,” Butt said.

“Also, Dr Ali Sher Bajwa also wants to look into a few things which is a part of long-term plans. It will be four-and-a-half-week tour,” Butt said.

Butt also said that there are no plans to get the services of a foreign coach in England.

“I am going with Arshad as coach and we will do routine training there, the way we are doing here. It’s not in plans to get the assistance of a coach there,” said Butt, who has been coaching Arshad following the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

Butt said that their main target is the World Championship, adding that the Islamic Games is the other event in which Arshad will be featuring this year.

Arshad will defend his title in the Islamic Games which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in November this year.

Meanwhile, Diamond League’s Poland chapter is also on Butt and Nadeem’s radar.

“We will also target Diamond League event to be held in Poland in August and let’s see what happens,” Butt said.

He is happy with the progression of Arshad following his gold medal winning feat in the Asan Championship in Korea recently.

“Yes, MashaAllah he is going well and is improving,” Butt said.

Arshad managed a throw of 86.40m to win his first gold in the Asian Championship in Korea.

Arshad became the world’s most famous athlete a few months ago when he smashed the Olympics record with a massive throw of 92.97 meters in Paris Games.

In the 2023 World Championship in Budapest Arshad had finished with a silver medal with a throw of 87.82m. Neeraj had claimed gold with an 88.17m throw.

Arshad will need to topple Neeraj this time in Tokyo.