LAHORE - Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem safely negotiated a challenging qualification round to book his place in the men’s javelin throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, keeping alive his bid to defend the title he won in record-breaking fashion four years ago. Competing in difficult weather conditions on Thursday, Arshad produced a best throw of 78.63 metres, which proved sufficient to earn a place among the top 12 qualifiers after no athlete managed to achieve the automatic qualifying mark of 84 metres due to strong headwinds at Scotstoun Stadium.
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The 29-year-old Pakistani star opened his campaign with 78.63 metres before fouling his second attempt. His third and final throw measured 75.65 metres, comfortably securing his passage to Friday’s medal event despite the testing conditions that affected the entire field. Speaking after the event, Arshad admitted he was not at his best but was satisfied with achieving his primary objective. “The weather in Glasgow is much colder than in Pakistan, and the headwind made conditions very difficult,” he said. “My main target was to qualify for the final. It was an exciting competition, and now my complete focus is on delivering my best performance.”
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The Olympic champion added that competing in cold conditions required constant movement to stay warm, unlike in Pakistan’s warmer climate. “Representing Pakistan always fills me with pride,” Arshad said. “I love my country and will continue giving my best whenever I compete.” Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage led the qualification standings with a throw of 82.84 metres, followed by Grenada’s reigning world champion Anderson Peters (81.29m). South Africa’s Douw Smit (80.64m) and England’s Benjamin East (80.38m) were the only other athletes to cross the 80-metre mark.
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India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Arshad’s long-standing rival, also advanced after improving from 76.28 metres to 79.61 metres on his second attempt. India will have three finalists, with Rohit Yadav (78.37m) and Yashveer Singh (78.36m) also progressing. Pakistan’s Muhammad Yasir Sultan narrowly missed out on qualification. After fouling his opening attempt, he recovered with throws of 71.42 metres and 74.36 metres but finished outside the top 12. Arshad enters Friday’s final as one of the leading contenders to retain the Commonwealth crown after creating history at the 2022 Birmingham Games, where his Games-record throw of 90.18 metres earned Pakistan its first Commonwealth athletics gold medal since 1962. The men’s javelin final is scheduled for Friday at 7:45pm Pakistan Standard Time, with another memorable chapter awaiting Pakistan’s greatest-ever track and field athlete.
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Azhar Khan is an accomplished senior sports journalist with extensive experience in the field. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @azharmasood786
Azhar Khan is an accomplished senior sports journalist with extensive experience in the field. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @azharmasood786