It was a major setback for Pakistan as star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem dropped out of the medal race during the men’s javelin throw final at the 2026 Asian Games after registering a series of unsuccessful and invalid attempts.
The Olympic gold medallist opened his campaign with a throw of 76.69 metres, giving Pakistan hopes of a strong finish in the event.
Erlier, Pakistan’s Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem recorded a throw of 76.69 metres on his first attempt in the javelin throw final at the Asian Games 2026. However, his second attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Nadeem with one valid throw after two attempts in the final.
The men’s javelin throw final has emerged as one of the most closely watched athletics events at the Asian Games, with Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Tharanga among the competitors expected to attract attention. Two Indian athletes are also featured in the final, although India’s leading javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is not competing at the 2026 Asian Games.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem enters the competition after completing preparations in Lahore and Japan. His coach, Salman Butt, said the Olympic gold medallist trained under Japanese conditions and is fully fit for the final. According to Butt, Arshad has maintained his regular training schedule and is in good form ahead of the competition.
Pakistan will have two representatives in the javelin final, giving the country a notable presence in one of the headline athletics events of the Games. Each athlete will be given multiple attempts, with the final standings determined by the best valid distance recorded.
Arshad Nadeem has become one of Pakistan’s most prominent track-and-field athletes following a series of strong performances on the international stage. His Olympic triumph significantly raised the profile of javelin throw in Pakistan and generated greater public interest in the country’s athletics programme.
However, good news for Pakistan in athletics came in the form of Ansar Abbas, who qualified for the men’s long jump final with a personal-best leap of 7.28 metres. He finished seventh in the qualification round, while Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov topped the standings with a jump of 8.00 metres, followed by India’s Murali Sreeshankar in second place with 7.84 metres.
Pakistan’s tennis campaign, which began on Sunday, produced mixed results. In the first round of the men’s doubles, Aqeel Khan and Muhammad Shoaib comfortably defeated the Mongolian pair 6-2, 6-0. The Pakistani duo delivered a strong performance, winning 54 points compared with their opponents’ 23.