Arshad Nadeem eyes world title in Tokyo

Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem will begin his quest for gold when he competes in the qualification round of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Wednesday.

A total of 34 elite javelin throwers from around the world are set to participate at the iconic venue that hosted the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Arshad, who stunned the athletics world with a monumental throw of 92.97m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has been placed in Group B which includes 18 competitors.

Among the top contenders in his group are two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada (90.07m), Luiz Mauricio da Silva of Brazil (91.00m), and Julio Yego of Kenya (92.72m).

Meanwhile India’s reigning world and former Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra (90.23m) headlines Group A alongside Julian Weber of Germany (90.51m), Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago (90.16m) and Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic.

This group consists of 16 athletes. Any competitor who achieves the automatic qualification mark of 84.50m will advance directly to Thursday’s final. Otherwise, the top 12 performers overall will move on to what promises to be a high-stake finale featuring some of the sport’s biggest names.

In good shape

Arshad returns to major competition following left elbow surgery the other month in London. Despite the setback he has recovered well and is in good shape aiming to build on his silver medal performance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest where Neeraj Chopra claimed gold.

On Tuesday Arshad underwent training session and appeared to be in excellent rhythm.

“Just finished a training session with Arshad and his coach Salman. Our athlete looks in good form,” Arshad’s doctor Dr Ali Sher Bajwa told Nukta from Tokyo.

“It’s exactly eight weeks since he had surgery in Cambridge that makes this all the more remarkable. He’s a good fighter and appears ready for the showdown tomorrow. I have to do a fair bit of work in the next 24 hours on his recovery and body optimization for competition,” Bajwa said.

It was Bajwa under whose supervision Arshad’s left calf surgery had been conducted in Cambridge a couple of months back.

Ahead of the qualification round Arshad reached out to the public for support.

“I will be competing in the qualification stage of the World Championships tomorrow. Please pray that I qualify for Thursday’s final,” Arshad said in a video message.

The big showdown

The showdown is shaping up to be a battle between Arshad, Neeraj Chopra and Julian Weber. While Arshad is returning from injury Neeraj has shown signs of inconsistency in recent events most notably finishing second at the Diamond League final in Zurich with a modest throw of 85.01m.

Weber, on the other hand, is in blistering form. He won the Zurich event with a massive 91.51m throw, hitting the 91m mark twice.

On the day of departure to Tokyo this correspondent observed Arshad’s training session. The Pakistani star appeared laser-focused and in peak mental condition. If he maintains this composure, he is capable of delivering a standout performance on the sport’s biggest stage.

Arshad has already etched his name in history, having won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, Islamic Solidarity Games, and Asian Athletics Championships. He also claimed a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, though he was forced to miss the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou due to injury.