Yasir ready to pull off his best in Korea

LAHORE: Eyeing Paris Olympics seat Pakistan’s No2 javelin thrower Mohammad Yasir Sultan has achieved top shape and has already entered into the competition phase. He is set to feature in the Asian Throwing Championship in Korea in the next few days, an event where he will press for the Paris Olympics seat.

He has a solid chance of qualifying for this year’s Olympics. If he does so it will be the first time in Pakistan’ athletics history when two athletes will qualify directly for the Olympics. The country’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has already qualified for the Paris Olympics with a stunning throw in Hungary in the World Championship last year which had fetched historic silver for him.

Yasir is fully focussed on his job and will take the continental throwing event as a do-or-die battle.

“Yes I am in top shape and it’s a do-or-die event for me and inshaAllah will make my best effort to qualify for the Olympics,” Yasir told ‘The News’ here on Saturday ahead of his training session at the Punjab Stadium.

The Asian Throwing Championship is slated to be held in Mokpo, Korea, on June 14 and 15.

Yasir, who had claimed bronze in the Asian Championship in Bangkok last year, is undergoing training under his coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari.

Yasir said that he has improved his skills.

“Yes more improvement has been made on skills side. As we are now in competition phase so we have reduced training load and are focussed on quality rather than quantity,” said Yasir, whose best throw is 79.93 metre which he had managed in the Asian Championship in Bangkok last year.

“I am confident about what is in control,” Yasir was quick to add.

“It’s a life time opportunity and I don’t want to waste it,” Yasir said.

Yasir is staying at the PSB Coaching Centre Lahore where Arshad Nadeem is also undergoing training after having passed through a five-week training stint in South Africa under Terseus, the world’s renowned coach.

Yasir will need to achieve the 85.50 metre throw, a qualifying standard set by the World Athletics, or he will have to get a place in the top 32 javelin throwers at the end of the qualifying timeline which is June 30.

Yasir’s coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari is also confident about his pupil.

“He is in the best phase of his life,” Fayyaz told this correspondent.

“We have worked hard on every aspect and especially skills which have seen marked improvement and inshaAllah he can manage his best,” Fayyaz told The News.

“Yasir is in good shape. We have worked too harder and now he needs only prayers as he has done his homework,” Fayyaz said.

If Yasir qualifies then it will add to Fayyaz’s feathers as this will be his second pupil when he will qualify for Olympics.

Fayyaz had guided Arshad Nadeem to Tokyo Olympics by coaching him for eight years.

Yasir and Fayyaz are yet to get their South Korea visas.

With three shooters and a javelin thrower already in Olympics Yasir is well-poised to become the fifth athlete who is more likely to feature in the Olympics.