BIRMINGHAM: After pulling off a gold medal for Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games here on Sunday, the country’s top javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem now aims to deliver in the Islamic Games which are slated to begin from Tuesday (today) in Konya, Turkey.
However, he has an elbow injury. When he managed his gold medal-winning throw on Sunday, he held his elbow with his hand and was evidently in pain. But he is excited and wants to deliver in Konya also. “Yes, it’s my next target. I have pain but feel good now. That competition is not that heavy and if I feel good then I will inshaAllah deliver in Turkey also,” Arshad told ‘The News’ on Monday.
“When I finished fifth in the World Championship in the US last month, I targeted the Commonwealth Games and believed that I would deliver and thanks God I did it confidently,” said Arshad, who was scheduled to fly out for Turkey on Monday evening to feature in the Islamic Games in whose previous edition in Baku in 2017 he claimed bronze.
Arshad looked very confident during the entire javelin throw event on Sunday. He managed a record 90.18 metre throw and bettered his personal best during the event three times.
He was treated here by Dr Asad Abbas, who is not going to Turkey with him. The doctor says his knee will need some treatment there also.
“Unfortunately, I am not going with him to Turkey and another doctor will look after him. He will need proper care. Not only does he have this elbow injury but he is also suffering from a knee injury which unsettles him during running,” Dr Asad told ‘The News’ here.
Arshad told reporters soon after his record-breaking performance that he was extremely happy. “It’s a huge achievement for me and I am very happy,” he said.
“I was aiming for 95m but that I managed 90m plus despite an injury is a huge relief for me. I dedicate this gold to the people who prayed for me in this holy month of Muharram,” Arshad said. It was Arshad’s second Commonwealth Games appearance.
Pakistan last won gold in the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games when hurdler Ghulam Raziq snared gold. Arshad also surpassed India’s star Neeraj Chopra who has not yet crossed the 90 metre mark.
Arshad had been trying to enter the 90 metre bloc for long and the sunny day in Birmingham on Sunday brought that achievement to the athlete who had been trained for years by WAPDA’s senior coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari.
Arshad shot to fame when he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 86.29 metre in the South Asian Games in Nepal in 2019. He finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics and last month added to that glorious feat when he also finished fifth in the US World Championship where Grenada’s Anderson Peters strongly defended his title. Arshad said that it would have been better if he had his friend Neeraj in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“It would have been better had he been here. The competition then would have been even better. He is also injured and I pray for his early recovery,” Arshad said. Chopra, who last month earned silver in the World Championship in the US, skipped the Commonwealth Games because of a groin injury. Neeraj was to defend the Commonwealth Games title.
Arshad appreciated the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for awarding him the scholarship which he said would help him prepare well for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I am thankful to the IOC for the scholarship and with this money I will manage good training and will win a medal for the country in the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Arshad said. He also thanked the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for managing him the IOC scholarship.