Arshad, Yasir reach South Africa for training

KARACHI: Pakistani javelin throwers Arshad Nadeem and Mohammad Yasir were scheduled to reach South Africa early Friday night to undergo four-month training ahead of a handful of major events which will begin in July with the World Championship in the US.

“Yes they are scheduled to reach Johannesburg in a couple of hours,” a senior official of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) told ‘The News’ on Friday evening.

South African coach Terseus Liebenberg will train the duo during their stay in South Africa.

Terseus is an international javelin throw coach with global repute. He has an international certificate from Loughborough University, London. He is also the author of the book ‘Science and Practice of Javelin throw’.

He coached South Africans Jo-Ane van Dyk and Johan Grobler to silver medals in the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland, and coached Sunette Viljoen to silver in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

The duo would be trained at the North West University Campus in Potchefstroom, a city which is 120 kilometres from Johannesburg.

Both trained for around one and a half months at the PSB Coaching Centre Lahore. They were training according to the plans set up by their coach.

“We are happy that finally they have left for training and we plan to keep them there until the World Championship,” Zafar said.

Asked whether Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is backing the AFP for the duo’s training Zafar replied in negative.

“I hope the Board will do and meet the training expenses of both the athletes,” he said.

He said the selection for the Commonwealth Games will be held on the basis of the performances in the National Championship which the AFP plans to hold after Ramadan, adding that the federation has also written to the PSB for a camp in connection with the preparations for South Asian Games.

“We are waiting for the response,” Zafar said.