Arshad finishes eighth in javelin throw

Ag AFP

GOLD COAST: Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem could not click when it mattered the most as he finished eighth in the men’s javelin throw finals of the 21st Commonwealth Games here at the Carrara Stadium on Saturday.

Bronze medallist in the Asian Junior Championships, South Asian Games and Islamic Games, Arshad — who bettered his national record on Friday in the qualification round with a throw of 80.45m — fell even short of that too. His best effort in the 12-man finals remained 76.02m. His attempts were of 74.46, 73.55, 75.75, 74.91, 76.02 and 73.84.

As he had developed back pain on Friday, every time he completed the throw in the finals he was seen holding and pressing his back with his hands.

India’s Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal with his season’s best effort of 86.47m. Australia’s Hamish Peacock claimed silver with a throw of 82.59m while Grenada’s Anderson Peters (82.20) took the bronze medal.

Meanwhile at the Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane, Pakistan’s Ghufran Adil failed to live up to the billing when he finished in eighth place in the finals of the 50m rifle three positions.

Earlier, he qualified for the finals after finishing eighth in the qualification round with a total of 1145-44X.

In the men’s trap qualification second phase, Farrukh Nadeem failed to qualify for the finals, finishing 14th with the total score of 113 points. In the same event, Aamir Iqbal ended in 24th position with a total of 106.

The Commonwealth Games will be end on Sunday (today).

AFP adds: A Singaporean para-sprinter has been barred from the Commonwealth Games after failing a doping test, officials said on Saturday.

Khairi Ishak, who was due to compete in Friday’s T47 100m final, tested positive before the Games and did not travel to Australia, Singaporean media said.

“We were informed by Anti-Doping Singapore that Mohammad Khairi Bin Ishak has been issued a provisional suspension as a result of a violation charge, hence ruling him out from participating at the Commonwealth Games,” chef de mission Mark Chay said in a statement.

“We wish to remind all athletes to play a part in clean sport, stay drug-free and to respect the rules in place.”

Officials earlier said that three Australians and a number of international athletes had been banned from the Games in Gold Coast following pre-competition testing.