Road to LA 2028: Pakistan athletics chiefs seek foreign training for top stars

In a bid to catapult Pakistan's athletic talents to the global stage, the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) is spearheading an ambitious initiative.

Ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the AFP is determined to secure top-notch foreign training opportunities for its elite athletes, paving the way for a smarter, stronger, and more successful Pakistan athletics squad.

“You know Arshad Nadeem is now an athlete of a different level and he definitely will get all the required training opportunities but we are also making top-notch effort to provide foreign training opportunities to a handful of other top athletes who have the potential to do well at the highest level,” a senior official of AFP told Nukta.

“We have Shajar Abbas, who has now switched over to 400m, javelin thrower Yasir Sultan, long-racer Mohammad Akhtar and one more javelin thrower from Army who is seen as a future prospect. We are working towards that direction so that the top athletes could get quality training which will help them hone their skills.

“We have also submitted a detailed plan with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). We have requested the Board to either send these athletes abroad for a few months training or manage foreign coaches so that they could train these athletes along with others in Pakistan. Let’s see how the Board responds.”

Nuktahas learnt that AFP recently also managed a meeting of Yasir Sultan and Shajar Abbas with a sponsor in Lahore. The official confirmed that federation is also seeking sponsors for materializing its plans.

“Yes, we are making top effort to seek for some sponsors which will help the athletes get the required training which will help in their development,” the official said.

Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem’s story is now different. He will definitely go to South Africa to get the advice from his South African coach Terseus Liebenberg whenever he will need it. However, it is very important for Pakistan’s No2 javelin thrower Yasir Sultan to also spend some time under Terseus or any other good foreign coach which may help him break the 80m barrier.

Yasir, also the Asian bronze medalist, will need to manage a throw of 85.50m if he wants to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. And before that he will need a throw of the same length if he wants to make it to the 2025 Tokyo World Championship which will be held in September.

Yasir was not given a fair chance to press for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was sent to Korea for Asian Throwing Championship where he did not impress. But he needed at least three opportunities to make his mark but unfortunately that was not the case.

As far as Shajar Abbas is concerned, he has a healthy record in 100m and 200m but he has now shifted to 400m, an event where he is expected to pull off a medal at the Asian level and also to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics.

“Yes, Shajar has switched over to 400m and we plan to provide him with good training opportunities and in the next one and a half year it will be seen how he delivers in this event,” the AFP official said.

“Mohammad Akhtar also is a good athlete and he will also be groomed properly,” the official added.

A javelin thrower from Army, Shehzad, has bewildered everyone when he managed a throw of 75m after he was given some tips by coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari on the sidelines of the National Championship in Multan the other month.

Shehzad is also on the radar of AFP.

“We are working hard to also back him as he seems to be a gutsy boy,” the official said.

With the Asian Championship and Asian Throwing Championship just a few months away, there is no official camp of the athletes as yet.

The Asian Championship will be held in Gumi, Korea, from May 27-31 while the Asian Throwing Championship will be conducted in Mokpo, Korea, from June 14-15.

“We have requested the PSB to hold a camp for our athletes and in a week time the things will become clear,” the official said.

Shajar and Yasir Sultan have been training on their own. Shajar is being trained by Rana Sajjad while Yasir is honing his skills under his coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari who also coached Arshad Nadeem for eight years until he finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics.

These events will be followed by the World Championship to be hosted by Japan in Tokyo from September 13-21.