KARACHI, Mar 7: Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s lone hope for a medal in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, said on Thursday he has not been able to get a new international standard javelin for many years.
Nadeem who recently underwent surgery for an elbow problem said he owned just one javelin and had been using it for the last seven-eight years.
“It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics,” he said.
“When I started off in 2015, competing in international events I got this javelin,” he recalled.
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Nadeem had skipped last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, citing a knee problem.
“For an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities,” he said.
Nadeem said he was hopeful that after entering into a sponsorship contract with car maker Toyota recently, he would be backed by them.
“I will be going to South Africa two months before the Olympics, and training there before August, but I want to take part in some international competitions before the Olympics,” he said.
With a 90.18m throw, the 27-year-old Pakistani created a new javelin throw record at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to claim the title. It ended Pakistan’s 60-year wait for a CWG gold medal.
Apart from cricketers, Nadeem is the only recognised sportsman in Pakistan and his efforts to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal, silver in the World Championships and three other medals in Asian competitions are greatly appreciated by people here.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation, Akram Sahi, resigned after a series of controversies hit the federation.
Sahi who served in the PAAF for over two decades said he had resigned for personal reasons. (PTI)
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