A tough task for Pak athletes to win an Olympic medal

ISLAMABAD: Though for the first time Pakistan enters the Olympics arena with four direct qualifiers (three shooters and one javelin thrower), winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics still looks a formidable ask for a Pakistan athlete.

Never before have three Pakistani shooters directly qualified for the Olympics. For the first time, a track and field athlete also earned a direct place in the Games. Though shooters have created history for Pakistan, their chances of winning a gold or any other medal entirely depend on the form and focus on the given day. Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will have to beat a galaxy of stars to be able to finish on the podium.

German Johannes Vetter could turn out to be the star of the show in the javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics. Commonly known as ‘the Usain Bolt of the javelin’ Vetter is all set to pose a threat to the all-time men’s javelin record of 98.48m set by three-time Olympic champion Jan Zelezny in 1996.

The 28-year-old Vetter unleashed a monster throw of 97.76m at the Continental Tour Gold level athletics event in Chorzow (Poland) in September 2020.

He not only broke his own national record but also put himself second on the all-time list of javelin throwers.

Pakistan’s Nadeem Arshad who carries Pakistan’s hopes to win a medal may well have to reach 90m and above to win silver or bronze behind Vetter. There are five other javelin throwers who could pose a threat to Arshad on his way to earning a medal at the Games. Poland’s Marcin Karukowski (89.55-June 2021), Trinidad and Tobago’s Kershorn Walcott (89.12-June 26, 2021), India’s Neeraj Chopra (88.07m-March 5, 2021), Latvia’s Gatis Cakss (87.57m-June 9, 2021), Moldova’s Andrian Mardare (86.66m-May 8, 2021) and Arshad (86.38m-May 8, 2021) are all capable of crossing the 90m mark.

For Pakistan shooters who have created history by becoming the first trio ever to qualify directly for the Olympics, it will entirely depend on their mental toughness to break clear by hitting the bull’s eye regularly. Khalil Akhtar has done it before toppling all the big names in the Olympic qualifiers in Brazil in the first round and can do it again. However, Ghulam Mustafa Bashir who is also competing in the 25m rapid fire pistol is more formidable and likely to pose a challenge to all favourites for a medal.

Weightlifter Talha Talib (67kg) is considered among the top ten weightlifters in the world. He may make his mark in the Games and so is judoka Shah Hussain Shah (-100kg). Hussain’s winning chances depend on the draws. A favourable draw could see him going all the way.