Arshad not to take part in National Athletics

LAHORE: Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower and world silver medallist Arshad Nadeem, who is nursing a knee injury, will not play in the National Athletics Championship which will be held in the first week of December on the newly-laid track at the Artillery Centre in Attock.

According to a senior official of WAPDA, Arshad is carrying an injury and they will not take any risk. “He is a great asset of Pakistan and we will not take a risk to play him. Yes he will be part of WAPDA’s squad as he is a legend,” the official told The News.

In the absence of Arshad, Asian bronze medallist Mohammad Yasir Sultan, who also belongs to WAPDA, is a huge gold prospect in the event. Arshad injured his right knee while training in Hangzhou just before the 19th Asian Games javelin throw event.

On the eve of the javelin throw event, he decided to skip the Asian Games due to the injury. Meanwhile, Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) is looking after Arshad keenly and has forwarded his medal reports to London-based Dr Ali Sher Bajwa, who accompanied Arshad during the last two World Championships, in the US and Hungary.

In Hungary a few months ago, Arshad won the first-ever silver medal for the country in its athletics history. Meanwhile, a top official of the AFP said that the three athletes whose ban expire in the next few days will be eligible to feature in the National Championship.

“The federation’s stand is absolutely clear and as per WADA rules these athletes can feature in the National Championship,” a senior AFP official told The News on Wednesday. These athletes are Samiullah (WAPDA), Mehboob Ali (Army) and Mohammad Naeem (Army). The trio had tested positive at the South Asian Games held in Nepal in 2019.