Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s javelin throwing superstar, is finally ensuring his debut in the 2024 athletics season at coming weekend’s Paris Diamond League.
Thursday morning ahead of the elite one-day track and field tournament on July 7, the 27-year-old and his coach, Salman Butt, flew to Paris.
His season opener in the French capital follows his last month withdrawal from the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland suffering a minor calf muscle ailment.
Notwithstanding the loss, the javelin ace claimed he felt optimistic going into Paris this week from his recent training and general conditioning.
“I am prone to injuries, particularly in this weather where it is 45 to 47 degrees, which causes increased perspiration and raises the risk of getting hurt,” he said.
Both this weekend and at the Olympic Games next month, the aim is to land a personal best throw, currently the longest by any South Asian at a fantastic 90.18 meters.
“If I can throw a personal best, there’s a chance I’ll also wind up winning a medal,” he remarked.
Regarding his fitness and preparation for the Paris debut before his Olympic performance next month, Coach Butt shared the same views.
“Ours is a long road; you cannot evaluate development depending just on one accident or injury,” Butt said.
“But we have recovered, we did rehabilitation, and his training is going well,” said Butt, who has guided Nadeem since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he ranked fifth in the finals.
Butt said that he was nervous about the two-week break in javelin throwing following the injury.
“Hopefully everything is going well and things work out,” stated the seasoned director of sports development.
Butt dismissed the question asking whether the absence of contests this year would hinder his performance, adding “[Arshad’s] always been injury-plagued.”
Certainly enough, the javelin giant has recovered from injury every time, and he expressed particular thanks for a quick two-month healing following knee surgery in February.
Following sufficient healing and recovery, Nadeem trained five weeks with eminent javelin instructor Terseus Liebenberg in South Africa, a second home for exceptional athletes hoping to improve their athletic ability.
