Arshad sets a new C’Wealth Games record

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem set a new Commonwealth Games record when he managed a monstrous throw of 90.18 metres to win gold in the men’s javelin throw competitions at the Alexander Stadium on Sunday.

This is also the Commonwealth Games record throw and Arshad’s personal best effort. His previous best was 86.38 metres. However, in Sunday’s miraculous effort, he bettered it three times to enter into the 90 metre bloc, which he has been aiming for long.

Pakistan had last claimed gold in the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games when Ghulam Raziq had snared gold in the 110m hurdle. The gold also helped Pakistan to finish the quadrennial event with two golds, three silvers and three bronze.

Arshad, who dominated the contest, beat the two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, former world champion and Olympics silver medalist Julius Yego of Kenya and 2012 London Olympics gold medallist Kishorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago during his terrific display.

Arshad, who recently finished fifth in the US World Championship, set the tone with a throw of 86.81 metres and beat his previous personal best of 86.38 metres, which he had managed in an international event in Iran in early 2021. Arshad then made a foul, followed by another personal best of 88.00 metre. He then managed 85.09m before recording his gold medal-winning throw of 90.18 metre. In his sixth and final attempt, he managed a throw of 81.29m.

At one stage when Arshad was leading, Anderson Peters jumped to the top with a throw of 88.64m but Arshad immediately surpassed him with a super 90.18m. Peters finished with a silver with 88.64 metres while Julius Yego of Kenya snared a bronze with a throw of 85.70m which was also his season’s best.

Then follows Kishorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago with 82.81, DP Manu of India (82.28m), Rohit Yadav of India (82.22m), Cameron McEntyre of Australia (79.89m), Alex Toroitich Kiprotich of Kenya (77.93m), Chinecherem Nnamdi of Nigeria (76.48m), Sumedha Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka (70.77m), Joe Harris of Isle of Man (67.91), Lakona Gerega of Papua New Guinea (63.46m) and Donny Tuimaseve of Samoa (63.14m).