2024 Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem said he is still not over the disappointment of the World Athletics Championships and gave the reason why he struggled during the event. He comes in as one of the favorites to win the title alongside Indian Neeraj Chopra, the Pakistani javelin star failed to impress everyone.
During the event, Nadeem managed only 82.75 meters and finished 10th in the standings. The result came as a shock as he won gold at the Paris Olympics with a monster throw of 92.97m. Nadeem recently returned to the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh where he won the gold medal for Pakistan.
Talking about his performance at the World Athletics Championships, Nadeem said that the surgery he had before the tournament prevented him from giving his best. The Pakistani star said his performance in Tokyo was not up to the standards of an Olympic champion.
“It gives me satisfaction to win another gold medal for my country and I am always grateful to Almighty Allah for his blessings, but I am yet to get over the disappointment of the World Athletics Championships in September,” said Nadeem.
“I won the gold here (Riyadh) but the recovery from surgery prevented me from giving my best. A throw of 83.05m is not up to my standards as an Olympic champion.”
Nadeem had to undergo calf muscle surgery in July in England before the World Athletics Championships. Nadeem mentioned that he is currently putting together a structured rehabilitation plan that will help him return to peak condition early next year.
2025 has been a rollercoaster ride for the Pakistani star as he has enjoyed several highs and lows. He won gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in Korea this year, but his long-time coach and mentor Salman Iqbal was banned for life.
Iqbal was punished for violating the constitution of the Punjab Athletics Associationwhere he serves as president.
Banned for life, Iqbal is banned from participating in athletics in any capacity – including coaching, administrative roles or participating at any level of the sport. The Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation (PAAF) says the violations stem from the Punjab elections held in August.
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Published on:
November 20, 2025
