Pakistan’s highly-talented javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem flew to Mauritius the other day to undergo six months training at the world athletics governing body’s (IAAF) High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) in the African island.

It is a huge step by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) which made efforts for the athlete and finally sent him to a centre where he will train under the supervision of highly qualified coaches.

Arshad, a young athlete from Mian Channu, deserved the opportunity. He will train there until July 31.

Arshad shot to fame when he threw javelin for 78.33m in the South Asian Games in the Indian city of Guwahati early last year. His bronze medal enabled him to achieve world’s fourth rank in the IAAF Under-20 world rankings.

Neeraj Chopra of India claimed gold with 82.23m, while Sumeda Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka secured silver with 80.25m throw.

Arshad grabbed bronze in the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Vietnam in June 2016, with a 73.40 throw despite an injured elbow.

Arshad’s performance shows that if he trained wholeheartedly in Mauritius he would improve and be able to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The qualifying standard for Olympics is 83m and it is within Arshad’s reach.

Before going to Mauritius, Arshad told me that his main target was to qualify for the Olympics. "God has given me a very good opportunity. I will try my best and raise my standard so that I can make a cut for the 2020 Olympics," Arshad said.

He is really a hard working individual. He plays for WAPDA. His father is a mason and Arshad assists his father in his work in the off-season. Once he told me that he does his weight training at his home by using cement blocks which his father has made for him.

WAPDA pays him only Rs18,000, a salary not enough for an athlete of such a high calibre.

The player has a cool head. Once he told me that he never feels any pressure in international events but rather enjoys when he comes to throw. This is a huge plus for the athlete who wants to achieve something stunning for Pakistan in the world athletics.

But the step of sending Arshad to Mauritius should not be the end. The AFP should fully focus on the build-up of the javelin thrower who is also a medal prospect in the Islamic Games which will be held in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from May 12-22.

In the era of Brigadier Rodham as Director General of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Pakistani athletes would train for months in England and that was the main reason that Pakistan at that time had a strong standing in athletics, particularly in Asia.

India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to become a world champion at any level when he won a gold medal at the Under-20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, last year with an 86.69m throw.

After the South Asian Games, Chopra never stayed in India but was always seen training abroad. That is the right way to prepare a player for global challenges.

Arshad on the other hand stayed at home and that is why he lags behind his Indian counterpart.

Pakistan’s senior athletics coach Major Shabbir, who accompanied Arshad on several foreign tours, says that Arshad had the potential and could qualify for the Olympics. "He is a really talented athlete. His jerk is amazing and there is every chance that he will improve in Mauritius," Shabbir told ‘The News on Sunday’ (TNS).

"He has technical flaws, but I think those will be removed by his coaches in Mauritius. The flaws have been created because he has several coaches in his department and this is affecting the athlete. He should have only one coach. If an athlete has many coaches he remains confused," Shabbir pointed out.

"He also needs a fitness coach as we have seen that his fitness level fluctuates. This is a major problem," he said.

We have a few more future prospects. One is Mohammad Afzal, who secured gold in triple jump in the Asian Youth Championship in Qatar.

"The 100m and 200m specialist Hiba Khursheed of Karachi, who is just 14 years old, and 11 years old Soneha of Lahore, who is a national bronze medallist in the 5000m, are highly talented. If they are properly groomed, they can go a long way," Shabbir said.