Arshad claims he will win medal at Commonwealth Games

KARACHI: Pakistan’s leading javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem on Wednesday claimed he had overcome his weaknesses and would win medal for Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games slated to be held in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4-15.

“I had some issues in my techniques. I have worked hard over them during the last couple of months training,” Arshad told ‘The News’ from Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, after his evening training session on Wednesday. “I feel that I have improved a lot and hopefully I will be able to win a medal for my country in Australia.

“I had some problems in my run-up and arm angle but now my arm has got straighter and run-up has also been improved. I am thankful to my coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari who is working hard with me,” Arshad said.

Arshad shot to fame when he secured bronze medal in the South Asian Games held in India in early 2016 by recording a 78.33 metre throw, an effort which enabled him to grab the third spot of the IAAF Under-20 world rankings.

If Arshad has to win a medal in Australia, he will have to record 83 metre-plus throw and the athlete says he can achieve that target. “Yes, I can achieve that target. Before South Asian Games in India I was recording 73m, 74 m in training and I recorded over 78m in the event. Now in training I am doing 77m to 78 m and it shows that I will be able to achieve 83 or even more in Australia,” the WAPDA athlete said.

As the youth camp has been closed for a few days due to sports gala at the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad, Arshad has been training constantly for the last couple of months. Najma Parveen will be the other athlete of Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games.

Olympian Najma has been prolific over the years in national events and was part of Pakistan’s contingent for the 2016 Rio Games. Former athlete Abida Parveen will accompany the two athletes as an official.

Athletics Federation of Pakistan’s (AFP) secretary Mohammad Zafar told ‘The News’ that Najma had been training in her hometown in Faisalabad. “She is training in Faisalabad and will join the camp in Islamabad soon,” Zafar said.Meanwhile, AFP has picked London-based Umar Khayyam for the World Indoor Athletics Championships, which will be held in Birmingham from March 1-4. “Yes, Umar has been picked after proper trials. He belongs to Railways and is training in London and will feature in the world event in the 60 metre,” Zafar said.