Arshad looking forward to training in Kazakhstan

KARACHI: Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem on Monday said that he is very excited about his foreign training opportunity and that he will try his best to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

“Yes, I am very excited and am looking forward to training in Kazakhstan,” he told ‘The News’ from his hometown Mian Channu. Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) has managed training for Arshad in Kazakhstan. He will be sent to Kazakhstan when flights to that country resume. It is expected that he will be sent some time next month.

Arshad said that around eight months training would be enough for quality preparation. “Eight months will be enough time and if the coach is good then I will really enjoy my training stint abroad,” said Arshad, a 2018 Asian Games bronze medallist.

Arshad qualified for Tokyo Olympics after managing an 86.29m throw during the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal last year. The qualifying standard was 85 metre. Arshad was then sent to China along with four other athletes for training but the tour was cut short due to outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Arshad also had a meeting with the AFP chief Major General (retd) Akram Sahi at Lahore. His coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari was also present on the occasion.

Arshad said that the AFP chief was very happy to see him. “General Sahib was happy to see my fitness which I maintained during lockdown,” he said. The AFP is also planning to hold a camp for him at Lahore before he flies to Kazakhstan. The AFP has already written to the government for the purpose.

Before Olympics, Arshad will also feature in the Asian Championship which will be held early next year which will also be a test event for the country’s top javelin thrower. Arshad is the first athlete in Pakistan’s history to have qualified for Olympics directly.