Arshad will hoist Pakflag high today, says coach

KARACHI: Buoyed up by his superb performance in the qualification stage on Wednesday, Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will be going all out to win a medal when he takes the field in the javelin throw final of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday (today).

The final will be held at 4pm PST.

Arshad’s coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari is optimistic about his athlete’s medal chances. “InshaAllah we will do our best and hoist Pakistan’s flag high tomorrow at the global forum,” Fayyaz told ‘The News’ from Tokyo on Friday.

He said he felt that Arshad was in his best shape and would produce something stunning at the Olympic Stadium.

“He is in the best shape of his life. He is motivated and will put in his best, InshaAllah,” Fayyaz said.

“I request the whole nation to pray for us. We have completed our homework and now we need your prayers. We have come here to snatch the medal from the world’s best lot and InshaAllah victory will embrace us,” he added.

Having coached Arshad for the last six years, Fayyaz knows exactly how to get the best out of the talented athlete. “He is mentally strong and this is a plus point,” the coach was quick to add.

Arshad blasted his way into the finals when he finished overall third among 32 athletes and ended first in his Group B in the qualification phase with a throw of 85.16m.

Barring Germany’s Johannes Vetter, all the throwers have less than 90 metre as their personal best. But Fayyaz said that nobody could say who was going to unleash his best at this stage.

“In sports anything may happen. Maybe some throwers manage their new best in the finals. If you see there were athletes with 90 plus as their best in the qualification phase but they struggled there. Anything may happen. It will be a good contest,” Fayyaz said.

“I don’t look at others but I focus on my own athlete. Our fight is not with India or with any other country but we will fight with ourselves and will try to pull off our best,” he said.

If Arshad wins a medal, it will be after 33 years that Pakistan will get an Olympics medal in individual sports. The last was in 1988 Seoul Olympics when boxer Hussain Shah clinched bronze medal. And it will be the first ever medal for Pakistan in Olympics athletics.

In team sports, Pakistan’s last medal was in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when the country captured bronze in hockey under the captaincy of Shahbaz Ahmad.

The other day Arshad had told ‘The News’ that he needed prayers. He was confident of doing his best in the finals.

He did some light training during the two days after the qualification stage.

The finals lineup comprises Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan), Neeraj Chopra (India), Andrian Mardane (Republic of Moldova), Kim Amb (Sweden), Novac Alexandru Mihaita (Romania), Veseley Vitezslav (Czech Republic), Julian Weber (Germany), Etelatalo Lassi (Finland), Johannes Vetter (Germany), Mialeshka Pavel (Belarus), Vadlejch Jakub (Czech Republic) and Aliaksei Katkavets (Belarus).

Arshad will throw at the ninth order as per line-up.

Barring Vetter, who has a personal best of 97.76, the finalists have their best from 84.98m to 89.73m which means a close contest is on the cards.

Each athlete will get the opportunity of six throws.

Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway holds the Olympic record of 90.57m which he recorded in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Czech Republic’s Jan Zelezny holds the world record of 98.48m which he achieved in 1996.

Arshad is the last medal hope for Pakistan as the country’s other nine athletes have already bowed out of their competitions.