KARACHI: Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem on Tuesday said that he feels no pain in his elbow but his exact fitness will be known when he starts training in full rhythm.
Nadeem underwent an elbow surgery in London last December and since then has been doing his rehab and light training at the PSB Coaching Centre in Lahore. He has also now started throwing javelin.
“Yes I have now started throwing javelin but I am doing both training and rehab and cannot say anything what the exact situation will be,” Arshad told The News.
Arshad had developed a shoulder injury in an international event in Iran in early 2021 in which he managed his personal best throw of 86.38 at that time. He carried that injury and finished fifth both in the Tokyo Olympics and World Championship in the US.
He last year achieved a new milestone by pulling off his best throw of 90.18m in Birmingham to win gold in the Commonwealth Games. He then also won gold in the Islamic Games in Turkey after a few days.
Arshad has to take part in the Asian Championship and World Championship in July and August in Thailand and Budapest, respectively, which are hard targets for the top athlete who also has to his credit bronze in the 2018 Asian Games. At the domestic level National Games are also coming up.
“It will be seen. If I am fit then definitely I will feature in the National Games,” Arshad said.
The Asian Championship in Pattaya will definitely be a testing event for Arshad and it will determine how fit he is.
Sprinters Shajjar Abbas and Mohammad Nadeem are also undergoing training with Arshad. Salman Butt and Rana Sajjad are acting as coaches in the camp which will last until June 30, as per a PSB notification.
The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) is planning to manage a foreign training tour for Arshad ahead of the Asian Championship. However, so far it has not been successful as it needs a huge amount.
“Yes we are trying our level best to manage a training tour for Arshad either in Germany or South Africa. In Germany the coach has already been approached via Pakistan’s embassy but it will need a huge amount. And we are trying to manage some sponsors for that,” AFP Secretary General Mohammad Zafar told 'The News' from Lahore on Tuesday.
“South Africa is also on our radar and hopefully we will be able to manage a tour for Arshad who is our top player,” Zafar said. Asked why AFP is not putting Arshad’s former coach Fayyaz Bukhari in the camp, Zafar said he may be given a chance when there is any major camp.
“We have not ignored him. He may be given a chance when we have 30-40 athletes in the camp,” Zafar said. “Bukhari cannot be discredited as he has a role in Arshad's growth."
Bukhari played a key role in Arshad’s growth as he made him able to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after working on him for seven years. However, Bukhari was shown the exit door after Arshad finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics, a decision which has raised many eyebrows.
Alam Zeb Safi Alam Zeb Safi is a senior reporter for The News