ISLAMABAD, Aug 07 (APP):Pakistan’s quest to win a medal in the Olympics came to an end as javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem finished fifth at Tokyo Games on Saturday.
The 24-year-old, who became Pakistan’s first-ever track and field athlete to compete at the quadrennial coveted event managed to send the spear to the 84.62m mark, but unluckily remained unable to get over the line and earn a medal.
Arshad at one point in the initial stage of the contest was at the fourth position but his rivals bettered their standings in the final round. Nadeem threw the javelin for 82.91m on his first attempt of the final round and 81.98m on the second. His final attempt of the round was a foul.
India’s Neeraj Chopra emerged victorious in the contest to claim the second-ever individual Olympic gold medal for his country. Chopra’s both attempts of the final round were adjudged as fouls but his 87.58m throw in the opening round ensured that no other athlete could outshine him in the contest.
Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Vitezslav Vesely won silver and bronze medals respectively.
Arshad had qualified for the final on Wednesday through a stunning throw of 85.16m that put him on the top of the Group B qualification. The throw also placed him at the number three position in both the groups combined, behind Chopra and World no. 1 Johannes Vetter of Germany.
Born in Khanewal on January 2, 1997, Arshad is a national champion in the javelin throw since 2015. He came to the limelight in 2016 when he claimed a bronze medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati, throwing the javelin for 78.33m.
He finished third at the 18th Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta to win a bronze medal by sending the spear for 80.75m. He kept on performing and in the world championship at Doha, he bettered his throw, achieving the 81.52m.
At the National Games in 2019, he further improved with a throw of 83.65m. He qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2020 during the athletics competition of 13th South Asian Games 2019, Nepal by throwing the javelin for 86.29m.
In April, this year he once again exhibited a standout performance at the Mashhad Imam Reza Athletics Tournament in Iran, where he improved his national record, throwing the javelin at a distance of 86.38m.
Pakistan had sent a 20-member contingent for 2020 Tokyo that included 10 athletes and as many officials. However, the medal remains elusive for the country. Pakistan had last won a medal in 1992 Barcelona when the national hockey team ended third.
