Pakistani javelin thrower and prominent athlete, Arshad Nadeem, achieved his country’s inaugural medal at the World Athletics Championship on Sunday in Budapest, Hungary, with a remarkable 87.82-meter throw.
Neeraj Chopra from India secured the gold medal, achieving a best throw of 88.17 meters.
At the beginning of the competition, Arshad Nadeem faced a challenging start, as his initial throw covered a distance of only 74.80 meters. Nevertheless, he made an impressive comeback during his second attempt, achieving a notable 82.81 meters.
The pivotal moment for the Pakistani thrower occurred during his third throw, where he reached an impressive distance of 87.82 meters, which marked his best performance of the season.
Although Arshad Nadeem’s fifth attempt did not surpass the 80-meter mark, he managed to achieve a distance of 81.86 meters during his sixth and final attempt.
The confirmation of the athlete’s medal came as Germany’s Julian Weber fell short of improving his mark of 86.79 with his last throw, thus securing Nadeem’s position within the top two.
Jakub Vadlejch’s foul in his final attempt confirmed Arshad Nadeem’s place in the final two.
During his fourth attempt, the 26-year-old athlete achieved a distance of 87.12 meters, which was below his expectations.
Earlier on Saturday, Nadeem qualified for the World Athletics Championship final with a best throw of 86.79 meters, successfully surpassing the Olympic benchmark of 85.50 meters.
This recent victory follows Nadeem’s emergence into the limelight when he secured fifth place in the Tokyo Olympics, an accomplishment that significantly impacted his life and shaped his persona.
Nadeem also achieved a fifth-place finish in the previous year’s World Championship in the United States.
Subsequently, he achieved his personal best throw of 90.18 meters during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, setting a record for the event held every four years.
The accomplished athlete underwent elbow and left knee surgeries in London, dedicating time to his rehabilitation process. He made his return to competitive sports in May during the 34th National Games in Quetta.
During this event, Nadeem faced a setback when he injured his right knee, which led to his withdrawal from the Asian Championship held in Bangkok.