Pakistan dominated the men’s javelin throw final at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh as Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem defended the top slot and Muhammad Yasir won silver.
Arshad was in a league of his own headed into the seven-man event; his personal best of 92.97m, which won him gold and the games record at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
Predictably, he had the lead from the start and was the only competitor to throw more than 80m though he looked disappointed after most of his throws.
The 28-year-old took home gold with a modest 83.05m throw on his second attempt, well below his 88.55m throw at the previous edition, which won gold and broke the games record.
Yasir, on the other hand, shifted gears in the sixth and final throw to win silver in 76.04m after overtaking Nigeria’s Samuel Adams Kure, who won bronze with a 76.01m throw.
The Pakistani duo’s medals took the country’s tally at the games to four after boxers Fatima Zahra and Qudrat Ullah both won bronze medals in their respective categories.
A sparse audience at the Prince Faisal Bin Stadium was seen clustered behind the javelin throwing sector, waving Pakistani flags and holding up their mobile phones to get a picture of the javelin superstars in action.
Earlier, Arshad opened his campaign with a low 75.44m first throw before breaching the 80m mark on his second and third throws. However, by his fourth throw, he had come back to 77.06m and had a no-throw on his fifth attempt.
The gold medal comes months after the reigning Olympic Champion struggled in the final of the World Athletics Championships with a best throw of 82.75 meters, resulting in his elimination after the fourth round.
He has himself stated his struggle with a calf injury and post-op recovery as to why he is not at his best.
