BIRMINGHAM/LAHORE - Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem held aloft the Pakistani flag by winning gold medal in the javelin throw event in the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a mammoth throw of 90.18m in Birmingham on Sunday night.
Arshad remained at top with another fine throw of 85.09m in the fourth attempt. The medal-winning 90.18m throw came in his fifth attempt. The feat also saw him becoming the first South Asian to cross the 90m mark. The Pakistani javelin throw star also became only the second Asian to cross that point after Taiwan’s Chao-Tsun Cheng (91.36m). He also smashed the CWG record of 88.75m by South Africa’s Marius Corbett that stood since 1998.
In his first attempt in the final, Arshad managed to throw at 86.81, which was his career’s best throw and a new national record for Pakistan until his fifth throw at the event. Previously, Arshad had a career-best throw of 86.38, which he pulled off during the Imam Reza Cup held in Mashhad Iran, in 2021.
Only Kenya’s Julius Yego could throw close to Arshad’s figure in the first attempt as he threw at 85.70 metres, which is his season’s best throw. Later, in the third attempt, Arshad broke his newly set record again and threw at 88 metres. However, in the fourth attempt, Arshad managed 85.09 metres throw, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters threw 88.64 metres to overtake the Pakistani athlete and took the number one spot.
Determined Arshad had other ideas, as he managed to pull off a monstrous throw of 90.18 metres, setting a Commonwealth Games and a national record. The Pakistani star also beat India’s Neeraj Chopra’s Tokyo Olympic throw of 87.58m (Gold) and World Athletics Championship throw of 88.13m (Silver).
The CWG gold medallist got the most prominent reward for his historic performance. In a video message, Arshad shared that International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded him with a scholarship for preparations to participate in Paris Olympics 2024. “I am honoured for being awarded a scholarship by the International Olympic Committee which will help me prepare for the Paris Olympics 2024,” he commented.
He added, “On this occasion, I would like to thank Pakistan Olympic Association, Pakistan Sports Board, and Pakistan Athletics Federation for their efforts to arrange this scholarship for me.”
Arshad said that he had set his eyes on Paris Olympics 2024, saying he would try to win gold medal in the prestigious event. “I will be featuring in a number events in the future and will try to live upto the expectations. But my main target is Paris Olympics where I believe I can win gold,” the champion asserted.
President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have congratulated Arshad Nadeem on winning the javelin throw gold medal for the country in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.
According to the DG ISPR tweet, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa also congratulated Arshad Nadeem for creating history with his exceptional performance in #CWG2022, setting a new record. “Arshad Nadeem is pride of the nation and our national Hero.”
In another tweet, the DG ISPR said: “Pakistan Armed Forces congratulate Arshad Nadeem for an outstanding performance in #CWG2022 and winning gold medal for Pakistan in Javelin Throw. Brilliant Arshad Nadeem, well done for making Pakistan proud.”
On his Twitter handle, the President congratulated Arshad Nadeem on making history in javelin throw and winning gold medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022. “Congratulations Arshad Nadeem on making history in the javelin throw and winning Gold Medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Nation is proud of you,” the President tweeted.
The Prime Minister said that Arshad Nadeem had made Pakistan and the nation proud for winning the first gold medal in javelin throwing. “What an amazing news to wake up to early this morning! Arshad Nadeem has done Pakistan proud by winning the first gold medal in Commonwealth Games. His consistency, passion & hard work hold lessons for our youth. Congratulations Arshad on your brilliant achievement,” the PM tweeted.
The PM also said that Pakistani athletes competing in different categories of the CWG 2022 have brought laurels to Pakistan by increasing country’s prestige among the comity of nations. “Nooh Butt, Arshad Nadeem (gold medalists), Sharif Tahir, Zaman Anwar and Inam Butt (silver medalists), Shah Hussain, Ali Asad and Inayatullah (bronze medalists) had made me and the entire nation proud with their medal-winning performances,” the PM said.
In another tweet, the Prime Minister said that he would meet these triumphant athletes after their return to the country to encourage them. He also appreciated the performance of all other Pakistani athletes taking part in the CWG 2022 as they had been representing Pakistan with their hard work and struggle. “Win and loss are the parts of a game. Don’t lose the nerves and strive harder,” the PM advised.
Maryam Nawaz, Imran Khan, Asad Qaiser, Jam Kamal Khan, Ch Fawad Hussain, Shireen Mazari, IPC Minister Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari and other politicians extended their heartiest congratulations to the javelin throw champion Arshad Nadeem and hoped that he would continue to work hard and win Paris Olympics gold medal.
“Well done Arshad Nadeem for winning the gold medal in javelin throw and bringing glory to Pakistan! You’ve made us proud. Keep working hard and keep Pakistani flag across the world,” they tweeted.
Meanwhile, Pakistan current and former cricketers Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahid Afridi, Shan Masood, Shoaib Akhtar, Imran Nazir, Haris Rauf, Azhar Ali, Waqar Younis, Mr. & Mrs. Wasim Akram, Shadab Khan, Abid Ali, others and PCB also felicitated javelin throw gold medal winner Arshad Nadeem and wished him best for the Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon and Director General Sports Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi have also congratulated national athlete Arshad Nadeem for winning CW Games 2022 gold medal in javelin throw event. “Arshad Nadeem’s record throw of 90.18 meters will be remembered for a long time. The whole nation is happy about his success and is paying tribute to him,” they said.
The Commissioner Karachi also recalled the promise of Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah to the champion Arshad Nadeem that he would provide the best javelin throw equipment to Arshad Nadeem, who requested the CM Sindh for latest equipment. “When Arshad officially visits the CM Sindh office with POA and javelin throw officials, he will not only be honoured well but the latest equipment will also be handed over to him.”