Pakistan’s marquee javelinist, Arshad Nadeem, endured a disappointing outing at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow. The javelin event saw Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage take gold with an 89.75-meter throw, while India’s Neeraj Chopra took silver with 85.83 meters and Yash Vir Singh secured bronze at 85.41 meters.
But Nadeem, the reigning CWG champion, finished ninth in the twelve-player fray with a mere 75.39-meter throw, missing the 80-meter mark entirely. It marked a long slump for the former Olympic gold medallist, after he finished 10th in last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.
Now, Nadeem has responded to the backlash from fans and the media.
Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, he said, “The respect and recognition Pakistan has received around the world have come through years of hard work. I worked tirelessly while staying in Pakistan… My coach, Salman Butt, and I are deeply hurt by the negative comments in the mainstream media and on social media.”
“My request to the fans and the media is not to lose heart and not to stop supporting me. Whatever I have achieved has only been possible because Allah blessed me with the opportunity.”
Nadeem pointed to the harsh European climate as the primary factor behind his struggles on the track.
“The weather in Europe was extremely cold, which stiffened my body, and I was unable to run properly… The run-up in javelin throw is the main thing, and I could not execute it during the event. You may have seen in many of my previous competitions that my run-up is usually very smooth. But this time it wasn’t, because my body had become stiff due to the cold conditions.”
“My fitness was good, and my health was fine, but ultimately whatever Allah wills is what happens.”
Result inevitable due to adverse preparation
A delayed start to the season — he competed only at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern meet in Switzerland two weeks before the Games — further compounded his struggles. He struggled there too, finishing ninth behind Germany’s Julian Weber with a throw of 78.47 meters.
“I had hoped the Switzerland event would give me good preparation, but the weather there was wet, and the field was tacky, so I could not get the desired result there either.”
Nadeem spent his crucial preparation window training in the intense summer heat of Lahore, while rivals Chopra and Singh trained in Switzerland and Poland to get accustomed to the chill of Glasgow.
Further, without funding support from the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation or the Pakistan Sports Board, he relied entirely on his local coach, Salman Butt, and local fitness trainers.
Nadeem’s retention of Butt has left him at loggerheads with the PAAF since last year. A report from the Press Trust of India revealed that the federation deliberately distanced itself from his preparations and ignored his requests for logistical training support, while the PSB too refused to release any funds to hire foreign coaches or specialised trainers, even for local sessions within Lahore.
The defending champion navigated his title defence alone. He would have hoped to finish alone at the top of the podium, but it was not to be.
