The Olympic champion delivers a dismal performance, failing to secure a top-eight spot
KARACHI:
KARACHI: In a shocking turn of events, Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem failed miserably to defend his Commonwealth Games crown, delivering a dismal performance at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Friday night.
The javelin superstar, who shattered records at the 2024 Paris Olympics, looked completely off-colour as he bowed out early in the 12-man final, leaving fans and coaching staff shell-shocked.
Arshad’s campaign in Glasgow had already raised eyebrows on Thursday when he barely scraped into the finals with a sluggish qualification throw of 78.63 metres. Any hopes of a final-round resurgence quickly evaporated under the stadium lights.
The defending champion began his evening with a foul on his first attempt. He followed it up with a disappointing 77.41 metre throw, before registering a dismal 75.61 metres on his third attempt. The subpar performance slammed the exit door shut, preventing him from booking a spot in the top-eight shootout. According to sources close to the athlete, a dejected Arshad left the venue immediately and returned to his hotel.
The collapse marks a stunning fall from grace for the Mian Channu-born athlete, who had set the Commonwealth Games record in Birmingham four years ago with a massive 90.18 metre throw to secure gold.
This disaster marks Arshad’s third consecutive failure within a month. Prior to the Glasgow Games, the ace thrower put up an uncharacteristic display at a meet in Switzerland, followed by his twin struggles in the Commonwealth qualifiers and final.
Despite claiming gold at the Asian Championship, Arshad has struggled to find the rhythm that enabled him to stun the world with a historic 92.97 metre monster throw at the Paris Olympics. His recent inability to breach even the 80-metre mark will surely sound alarm bells for his coach, Salman Butt, and the athletics authorities of the country.
While Pakistan mourned a missed podium, its South Asian neighbours feasted. Sri Lanka’s emerging javelin sensation Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage stole the show, annexing the Commonwealth Games crown with a brilliant 89.75 metre throw on his second attempt. Pathirage, a former fast bowler who recently entered the spotlight with a 92 metre plus throw at the Diamond League in Italy, proved he is the new force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, India dominated the remaining podium spots. Former Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra clinched the silver medal with a throw of 85.83 metres, while his compatriot Yash Vir Singh secured bronze, registering a personal best of 85.41 metres.