KARACHI: Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has a realistic chance of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As per the standard set by the world athletics governing body (IAAF), a javelin thrower can qualify for the Tokyo 2020 if he records an 85 metre throw during the qualification time-frame.
And Arshad is confident. “I can achieve this if I am given quality training,” Arshad told ‘The News’ on Saturday.
The athletes have two ways to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Either they will have to achieve the entry standard within respective qualification time-frame or they will have to make it to the prestigious event by virtue of IAAF World Rankings at the end of the respective qualification time-frame.
The process is designed to achieve about 50 percent of the target numbers for each event through entry standards and the remaining 50 percent through the IAAF world ranking system.
The qualification time-frame has been set as May 1, 2019, to June 29, 2020, for most of the events. However, for marathon and 50 kilometre race, the time-frame is from January 2019 to May 2020.
Arshad reminded Pakistan of its glory days in athletics when he recorded a throw of 80.75m in the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia last year that also fetched him a bronze medal.
“Currently, I am at home and here I have no facilities. Give me a six-month training and you will see me qualify for 2020 Olympics,” confident Arshad said.
Arshad shot to fame when he got bronze medal with a throw of 78.33m in the 12th South Asian Games in the Indian city of Guwahati in 2016. That feat had enabled him to achieve world’s fourth rank in the IAAF Under-20 world rankings.
Neeraj Chopra of India had claimed gold with 82.23m in that SAG, while Sumeda Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka had secured silver with 80.25m throw.
Arshad later grabbed bronze in the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Vietnam in June 2016 with a 73.40m throw despite an injured elbow. He also had to his credit a bronze in the 2017 Baku Islamic Games.
Arshad could not click in the 21st Commonwealth Games athletics competitions at the Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia last year. Despite back injury, Arshad bettered his then personal best with a 80.45m throw in the qualification phase in Gold Coast. In the absence of a coach, Arshad then could not click in the 12-man finals, with his best throw being 76.02m. His attempts in the finals remained 74.46m, 73.55m, 75.75m, 74.91m, 76.02m and 73.84m.
Arshad’s transformation remained slow because he did not get quality training programmes despite his impressive performances in international circuit.
He had been sent to Mauritius for a six-month training by AFP but returned after hardly a fortnight stay due to home sickness.
A former international athlete Mohammad Talib believes that Arshad can qualify for 2020 Olympics if a coach works properly on his defect.
“I saw a defect in his techniques during the 18th Asian Games last year. I forwarded a literature to the secretary of Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Mohammad Zafar and told him that Arshad had a defect and if a coach worked properly on that area then he could show wonders in future international events. I don’t know what they have done but I have done the job on my part,” Talib told ‘The News’ on Saturday.
“If his defect is removed then he can throw above 85 metres,” he added.
Talib says if Arshad comes to Karachi then he can help him remove his defect. “Yes, I can help him if he comes here,” Talib said.
The AFP chief Major General (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi a few days ago told ‘The News’ in an interview that he was going to bring in a Chinese javelin throw coach so that Arshad could be prepared properly for the Olympic tests.
After having grabbed Asian Games bronze last year, Arshad featured in the Asian Championships in Doha last April and finished sixth with an effort of 78.55 metre. His next target is the World Championships slated to be held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha from September 28 to October 6.
