BUDAPEST: Commonwealth Games (CWG) Gold medalist Arshad Nadeem on Friday secured his place for the final of the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Budapest, as well as, the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Arshad Nadeem started off the qualifying round of the javelin throw event with a 70.63m throw in his first attempt, while in his second attempt, he threw his javelin at a distance of 81.53 meters. However, the Automatic qualifying mark for the final of the World Athletics Championship was 83 meters, while the benchmark for the Paris Olympics was 85.50 meters.

Arshad Nadeem breached both benchmarks in his third attempt with an amazing 86.79-meter throw, consequently qualifying for both events. Meanwhile, his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra also qualified for the World Athletics Championship final and Paris Olympics with an 88.77-meter throw in his first attempt. They will now meet in the finals of the World Athletic Championship on August 27. Arshad Nadeem talked about the match with Neeraj Chopra, before departing for Budapest to participate in the ongoing event. “It is expected to be a good match with Neeraj Chopra in World Athletics,” he said.

He also gave an update about his fitness and thanked the President of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Major General (Rtd) Muhammad Akram Sahi for supporting him while he was nursing his injury. “I am fully fit and will try to perform well,” said Arshad Nadeem. “I have trained hard for the event after getting fit,”

“I am grateful to Federation President General Akram Sahi for supporting me in difficult times,” he added. It is worth mentioning that Arshad Nadeem was declared fit for the World Athletics Championship earlier this month by the medical board, after being ruled out of the Asian Athletics Championship, due to an injury to his left knee.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 26 2023

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