GLASGOW: Pakistan’s Olympic and Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem endured a disappointing outing in the men’s javelin throw final at the Commonwealth Games, finishing ninth and falling short of defending the gold medal he won in 2022.

Competing at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday night, the 29-year-old was unable to find his best form against a strong international field. His campaign began on a difficult note when his opening throw was ruled a foul, leaving him under pressure from the outset.

Nadeem registered 77.41 metres with his second attempt, briefly moving onto the leaderboard. However, as other competitors improved their performances, the Pakistani thrower slipped to ninth place by the end of the second round.

Needing a much longer throw in his third and final attempt to qualify for the medal rounds, Nadeem managed only 75.39 metres, which was not enough to improve his position. As a result, he finished ninth overall and was eliminated before the final three rounds of competition.

Arshad Nadeem’s Throws

• First Attempt: Foul
• Second Attempt: 77.41 metres
• Third Attempt: 75.39 metres

The result marked a significant contrast to Nadeem’s memorable performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he won the gold medal with a spectacular throw of 90.18 metres, setting a Games record.

Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Tharanga Takes Command

Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Tharanga produced an outstanding performance to lead the competition with a best throw of 89.75 metres, while India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra secured second place with a throw of 85.83 metres.

Chopra had led the event during the opening rounds before Tharanga overtook him with an impressive effort later in the competition.

Qualification Round

Earlier, Arshad Nadeem had booked his place in the final by finishing seventh in the qualification round with a best throw of 78.63 metres.

No athlete achieved the automatic qualifying mark of 84 metres, meaning the 12 best performers advanced to the final based on their distances.

Ramesh Tharanga topped the qualification standings with 82.84 metres, followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peters with 81.29 metres and South Africa’s Douw Smit, who threw 80.64 metres.

England’s Ben East qualified fourth with 80.38 metres, while Neeraj Chopra placed fifth with 79.61 metres. Australia’s Cameron McEntyre secured sixth place with 78.91 metres, just ahead of Nadeem.

Yasir Sultan Misses Out

Pakistan’s Yasir Sultan was unable to qualify for the final after finishing 14th in the qualification round. His best throw of 74.36 metres left him outside the top 12 required to progress.

Setback for Pakistan’s Star Thrower

Although Arshad Nadeem entered the event as the defending Commonwealth champion, he struggled to replicate the consistency and distance that have made him one of the world’s leading javelin throwers.

Despite the disappointing result, Nadeem remains one of Pakistan’s most accomplished athletes and is expected to focus on upcoming international competitions as he aims to return to his best form.