GLASGOW: Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem has secured his spot in the men’s javelin throw final at the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games after a tough qualification round on Thursday.
The qualification event was marked by challenging conditions, with strong headwinds hampering athletes’ performances. As a result, no competitor was able to meet the automatic qualification distance of 84 metres. Despite this, Arshad’s first throw of 78.63 metres was sufficient to guarantee his progression to the final, which will be held on Saturday at 12:15 am PKT.
Arshad, considered a strong contender for the gold medal, fouled his second attempt but managed a final throw of 75.65 metres. His initial effort was enough to place him among the top 12 athletes moving forward.
In the qualification standings, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage led with a best effort of 82.84 metres, while Grenada’s reigning world champion Anderson Peters finished second with 81.29 metres. Other notable performances included South Africa’s Douw Smit (80.64m) and England’s Benjamin East (80.38m), both surpassing the 80-metre mark.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, Arshad’s longtime rival, also successfully qualified, opening with 76.28 metres and improving to 79.61 metres in his second attempt. India will have three representatives in the final, with Rohit Yadav producing a best of 78.37 metres and Yashveer Singh steadily improving to 78.36 metres.
Pakistan’s Muhammad Yasir Sultan, however, narrowly missed out on qualification. After fouling his first attempt, Yasir recorded throws of 71.42 metres and 74.36 metres but did not finish among the top 12.
The men’s javelin final is scheduled for Friday, July 31, at 7:45 pm PST.
Pakistan first participated in the Commonwealth Games in 1954 and has since accumulated a total of 82 medals—27 gold, 27 silver, and 28 bronze. The country’s most successful campaign in recent history was at the 2022 Birmingham Games, where a 68-member team competed across 12 sports and finished 18th overall with eight medals.
Arshad Nadeem remains a standout athlete for Pakistan. In 2022, he set a Games record with a throw of 90.18 metres, earning Pakistan’s first Commonwealth athletics gold medal since 1962 and elevating the nation’s standing in the event.
