Arshad Nadeem Qualifies for Javelin Throw Final at Commonwealth Games

Pakistani Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem has secured his place in the javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Nadeem, who won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Games with a record throw of 90.18 meters, achieved his season's best of 78.63 meters in the qualifying round, placing him seventh.

The 29-year-old athlete acknowledged the pressure of defending his title. "Four years after I broke the Commonwealth Games record in 2022, I remain in the same position," Nadeem said. "There is also pressure [on me] … I have been the champion for four years and now I will need to again do well [to retain the title]." He added, "There is always pressure while entering the field … that pressure has to be controlled."

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Four years after I broke the Commonwealth Games record in 2022, I remain in the same position. There is also pressure [on me] … I have been the champion for four years and now I will need to again do well [to retain the title].

Nadeem's performance comes after a somewhat underwhelming return to competition earlier this month, where he finished ninth at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern meeting in Switzerland. Despite this, he expressed confidence in his preparation before departing for the Games. He will face stiff competition in the final, which includes India's Neeraj Chopra and Rohit Yadav, and Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga, who topped the qualifying rankings with an 82.84m throw.

Another Pakistani competitor, Muhammad Yasir, threw his season's best of 74.36 meters but narrowly missed the top 12 qualifiers, finishing in 14th place. Yasir had previously won a bronze medal at the Asian Throwing Championships with a throw of 77.43 meters.

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There is always pressure while entering the field … that pressure has to be controlled.