Arshad Nadeem, the javelin throwing sensation from Pakistan, will finally compete in the 2024 sports season this weekend in the Paris Diamond League.
The 27-year-old and Salman Butt, his coach, took a Thursday morning flight to Paris in anticipation of the elite one-day track and field competition on July 7.
Following a minor calf muscle injury last month, he withdrew from the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, which coincided with his season debut in the French capital.
The javelin ace expressed confidence in his recent training and general fitness before traveling to Paris this week, despite the setback.
“I am prone to injuries, particularly in this weather where it is 45 to 47 degrees, which causes increased perspiration and raises the risk of getting hurt,” he told Dawn.com.
Reaching a personal best throw of 90.18 meters, the longest by any South Asian, is the aim going into Paris, both this weekend and at the Olympic Games next month.
In the end, he remarked, “there’s a chance I’ll end up winning a medal as well if I can throw a personal best.”
Regarding his preparation and fitness for his Paris debut this week and his Olympic performance next month, Coach Butt was in agreement.
Butt told Dawn.com, “You cannot analyze progress based on one injury or event. Ours is a lengthy journey.”
“However, we’ve recovered, we underwent rehabilitation, and his training is proceeding smoothly,” Butt, Nadeem’s coach since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he finished fifth in the finals, said.
Butt said that he was nervous about the two-week break from javelin throwing after the injury.
“Hopefully everything is going well and things work out,” stated the seasoned director of sports development.
Butt dismissed the question of whether Arshad’s lack of competitions this year would have an impact on his performance, stating that “[Arshad] has always been injury-plagued.”
Unsurprisingly, the javelin phenom has recovered from injuries time and time again. He expressed his gratitude for his quick two-month recuperation after undergoing knee surgery in February.
Nadeem trained for five weeks under famous javelin coach Terseus Liebenberg in South Africa, a second home for top athletes seeking to advance their athletic careers, following sufficient recuperation and rehabilitation.
Neeraj Chopra, the current Olympic and world champion from India, stated on social media on Wednesday that he will not be competing in Paris this weekend, although he did wish the competitors luck.
At the Doha Diamond League in May of 2024, Chopra made his debut and won a silver medal with a huge 88.36-meter throw. Then, in the National Federation Cup, he stunned the home audience with a more controlled victory of 82.27 meters.
Feeling something in his abductor, the 26-year-old track and field athlete pulled out of the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics tournament in the Czech Republic. At the Paavo Nurmi Games, where he competed in his third meet of the season, he went on to win another gold in 85.97 meters.
The South Asian powerhouses will compete against one another in the Olympics for the first time since the World Champions last year, when Nadeem created history by being the first person from Pakistan to win a medal at the famous competition (he took home a silver, while Chopra won a gold).
