Arshad Nadeem leads javelin final with massive 85.57m throw at Asian Athletics Championship
Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem threw a massive 85.57m throw to lead the field in the men’s javelin final at the Asian Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage stands second with a 82.28m throw, and was previously leading the field until Nadeem proved his dominance to take over.
China’s Hu Haoran threw a season best 80.93m to stand at third place after the third throw.
The trio are currently the only athletes to have crossed the 80m mark in the final.
Sri Lanka’s Sumedha Jagath Ranasinghe Ranasinghe Mudiyanselage is at fourth with a 79.81m, followed by India’s Sachin Yadav at fifth with 79.65m and Yash Vir Singh at sixth with a 77.24m throw.
Nadeem threw a 75.64m and 76.80m on his first and second attempts respectively, while Yasir threw 70.53m and 75.39m.
All eyes were on Nadeem as he stepped up to the field for his first throw ranked last in the throwing order, with ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ blaring in the stadium as the crowd anticipated a massive throw from the javelin superstar.
In Yesterday’s heats, Nadeem threw an impressive 86.34m throw on his first and only attempt to cruise into today’s final. Yasir had thrown a 76.07m in the heats.
After he punched his ticket to the final, Nadeem took to Instagram to say: “As always I would need your support and prayers.”
In August last year, Nadeem set a new Olympic record and won a gold medal in the men’s javelin final in Paris with a 92.97m throw.
Nadeem will soon be going to England to prepare for September’s World Athletics Championships.
More to follow