EUGENE: In the World Athletics Championships javelin final on Saturday, Arshad Nadeem ensured that his challenge would last to the very end with his third throw. Arshad had made the final eight halfway through the event at Hayward Field, becoming him the only athlete from Pakistan to have qualified for a final in the history of the competitions, but his effort of 82.05m meant he finished last among them. By that point, the 25-year-old was aware that he needed to beat his previous best if he was to win Pakistan’s first medal at the biennial extravaganza for track and field and make further history.
The standard had already been set at that moment by the 24-year-old Granada champion Anderson Peters (90.46m). Following Peters, who would go on to keep his championship, were Julian Weber of Germany and Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic (both 88.09 metres) (86.86m). Indian Olympian Neeraj Chopra (86.37m) finished fourth. Arshad aimed after setting his goal. With his fourth throw, he produced a season-high 86.16m, 22 centimetres short of his all-time best. After failing to advance farther with his final two throws, it put him up to fifth, where he ultimately placed.
Arshad, who made history by being the first Pakistani athlete to qualify for a track and field final at the Olympics in Tokyo last year, told reporters, “It’s a performance that gives me hopeful for the future.” Arshad competed on Saturday with his throwing arm taped since he has been dealing with an elbow issue ever since the Olympics, where he also placed fifth. Naturally, I was a little anxious because this was my first competition since the Olympics, he admitted. “The medics and authorities of the Pakistan Athletics Federation worked very hard to make sure I could participate here against the best in the world.”
Arshad was looking forward to a podium result in Birmingham because the Commonwealth Games are starting later this month. After taking home bronze in the most recent Asian Games, Arshad said, “I’m happy with my performance and will work hard to bring home a medal at the Commonwealths.” Chopra, who finally won silver behind Peters, gave Arshad a word of admiration for his performance.
Several times, notably in the Asian Games in 2018, where Chopra won gold and his Pakistani adversary placed third, Arshad and Arshad competed against one another. Chopra stated at a virtual press conference, “I spoke to Arshad after the tournament ended. “I told him he did fantastic. “I further thanked him for a great throw and it was a great comeback from injury. He informed me he had troubles with his elbow. He successfully threw the javelin 86 metres, which was impressive.
With his fourth throw, Chopra set a new personal best of 88.13 metres, finishing in front of third-placed Vadlejch, who had won silver in Tokyo, and fourth-placed Weber. His performance in Tokyo, where he became the first Indian to win an individual athletics gold, went above and beyond the 87.58m he produced. India had never won a silver medal in a World Championship before, and Anju Bobby George’s bronze in the women’s long jump at Paris in 2003 was the nation’s only other silver medal ever. Peters, however, who had been in the lead throughout the competition and reserved his best, throw for last with a throw of 90.54 metres, proved unstoppable.
Peters was the only athlete to cross the 90-meter line, and he did it three times at Hayward Field against strong winds. The majority of throwers prefer a headwind, but today there was one, according to Peters. So, today was a little difficult, but I managed it. It is not simple to defend the title. I had to exert effort. Even though I was already a champion going into my final attempt, I worked on my technique with each throw until I finally succeeded. Lassi Etelatalo of Finland finished sixth (82.70m). Oliver Helander of Finland and Andrian Mardare of Moldova both threw more than 82 metres, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.
