Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem qualified for the men’s javelin final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after finishing seventh in Thursday’s demanding qualification round.
Strong headwinds disrupted the field at Scotstoun Stadium. None of the 18 competitors reached the automatic qualifying mark of 84 metres.
Arshad opened with 78.63 metres, his season’s best, which secured his place among the top 12 finalists. He fouled his second attempt before recording 75.65 metres with his final throw.
Pathirage Leads Strong Qualification Field
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage topped the standings with 82.84 metres. Grenada’s world champion Anderson Peters followed with 81.29 metres.
South Africa’s Douw Smit reached 80.64 metres, while England’s Benjamin East threw 80.38 metres. They were the only other athletes to cross the 80-metre line.
India’s Neeraj Chopra also progressed after opening with 76.28 metres. He improved to 79.61 metres on his second attempt, setting up another major contest with Arshad.
India will have three representatives in the final. Rohit Yadav qualified with 78.37 metres, while Yashveer Singh steadily improved to 78.36 metres.
Yasir Sultan Misses Top 12
Pakistan’s Muhammad Yasir Sultan failed to reach the medal round. He fouled his opening attempt, then registered throws of 71.42 metres and 74.36 metres.
The top 12 athletes advanced after the full field missed the automatic standard. Arshad’s opening effort therefore proved decisive.
Read More: Arshad Nadeem Eyes Commonwealth Gold After Olympic Glory
The throw also improved on his 78.47-metre performance at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern meeting in Switzerland on July 16. He finished ninth at that World Athletics Continental Tour Silver competition.
Before Glasgow, Arshad acknowledged the challenge of defending his crown. “I strongly feel that the competition in Glasgow will be tough this time too but I am prepared for it,” he said.
Arshad Targets Second Commonwealth Gold
Arshad won the 2022 Commonwealth title in Birmingham with a Games-record throw of 90.18 metres. That victory gave Pakistan its first Commonwealth athletics gold medal since 1962.
Pakistan sent 68 athletes across 12 sports to Birmingham. The contingent finished 18th with eight medals, including two gold, three silver and three bronze.
Pakistan entered Glasgow 2026 with 82 Commonwealth Games medals: 27 gold, 27 silver and 28 bronze. The country made its Games debut in 1954.
Arshad’s personal best remains the 92.97-metre Olympic record he set while winning gold at Paris 2024. That performance also established a new Asian record.
Read More: FIFA President Acknowledges Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Feat in Dubai
The Glasgow 2026 evening session will start at 6:30pm local time on Friday, July 31. Organisers list the men’s javelin final for 8:15pm, which converts to 12:15am Pakistan time on Saturday, August 1.
Arshad will defend his title against Pathirage, Peters, Chopra and a deep field of qualifiers. The final promises one of the Games’ most anticipated athletics contests.
