Tale of Arshad’s infection in Turkey surprises many

ISLAMABAD: Amid all the preparations, hard work, and training tours, Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem contracted Covid-19 over two months back when he was in Turkey.

The ace javelin thrower who is a potential medal prospect for the country going into the Tokyo Olympics was tested positive for Covid-19 and had to take a rest in between the tour to recover.

A highly reliable source told ‘The News’ that Arshad had contracted Covid-19 in Turkey, however he recovered in time to continue his training.

When his personal trainer Syed Fiaz Hussain Bokhari was approached on telephone Thursday, he confirmed that the ace javelin thrower was tested positive for Covid-19 in Turkey.

“Like other people our javelin thrower also turned positive for Covid-19 when he was on a training tour in Turkey but his case was not serious as he recovered within few days. I think most of the people in Pakistan and around the world experienced the same in the recent past and Arshad was no exception,” Fiaz said.

Arshad a potential medal hope in Tokyo reached Turkey in mid-April and stayed there for almost three weeks.

The most talented Pakistan track and field athlete of recent times threw the javelin to a distance of 86.38 meters in Iran recently to set a new national record.

It is not clear yet whether Arshad declared himself as the one who contracted Covid-19 when he was in Turkey. “The virus infection was over in few days as he was fit again to pursue his training,” Fiaz added.