Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s standout athlete, will compete in the men’s javelin throw final at the Alexander Stadium today, hoping to earn his first Commonwealth Games medal (Sunday). The event will start at 11:40 p.m. (Pakistan time).
Arshad has a great chance to place on the podium in Birmingham since Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and World Championship silver medalist Neeraj Chopra of India opted to skip the quadrennial event owing to a groyne issue. Following a fifth-place performance in last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Arshad finished fifth in the World Championships in the United States with an 86.16 metre throw.
This was also his third personal best throw, with his previous bests being 86.38m in Iran and 86.29m in the 2019 Nepal South Asian Games. Anderson Peters, the two-time world champion, has arrived in Birmingham and is in excellent condition.
He recently defended his world title in the United States with a monster throw of 90.54 metres. Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago has also confirmed his participation, and it will be interesting to watch how he fares. However, he fell behind in the World Championship in the United States. He failed to qualify for the finals with a throw of 78.87m.Despite this, he may be deceptive due to his extensive experience. Kishorn has a bronze medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics and a silver medal from the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games to his name.
It’ll be interesting to watch how the trio performs in Birmingham. Arshad is optimistic that he would perform admirably in the quadrennial event. “Yes, I will do my best, InshaAllah,” Arshad told The News. “I’m in great shape. Yes, I have an elbow injury and am messing around with it. It bothered me in the United States since I was in discomfort during the World Championship, but I’m handling it well.Dr. Ali Bajwa was present in the United States and treated me nicely.
“Here, too, he’ll most likely be with me because his services, I believe, have been engaged for a couple of days,” he explained. When asked if he would compete with Peters, the world’s finest, Arshad responded he would do his best. “I have no competitors.” I compete against myself. I’ll do my best to give it my all. And if I can achieve that, I’ll have a good chance of finishing on the podium,” added the Asian Games bronze medalist. He described his training at Birmingham as “pretty decent.”
“Yes, a few good sessions were held here because the weather is so nice and supportive,” Arshad explained.He played without a coach in the United States as well, and he will do it again here. Terseus Liebenberg, Arshad’s South African instructor who had trained him in Johannesburg, was unable to travel to the United States owing to health issues.
“I don’t have a coach,” Arshad explained. Following this tournament, Arshad’s next goal is the Islamic Games, which will be held in Konya, Turkey, from August 9 to 18.