Pakistan’s top javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has travelled to the United Kingdom for knee surgery in hopes of recovering in time for the Paris Olympics.
Despite winning the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Nadeem was forced to pull out of last year's Asian Games in China due to his knee issues.
"I have decided to have the knee surgery now because it has been bothering me a lot since last year and I tried rehab programs but they didn’t work," he said.
The 27-year-old Nadeem holds hope that undergoing surgery will enable him to regain fitness in time for the Paris Olympic Games. In Pakistan, Nadeem has garnered as much attention and popularity as cricketers, particularly following his record-breaking throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
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The javelin throw event at the 2023 Asian Games was anticipated as another chapter in the ongoing rivalry between Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra. Nadeem, the Pakistani athlete, stands as one of just two Asians to surpass the 90-metre mark in javelin throwing.
In a historic achievement, Nadeem became the first Pakistani athlete to secure a medal at the World Athletics Championships last year, clinching silver behind India's Neeraj. His throw of 87.82 meters in Budapest earned him a prestigious accolade, marking Pakistan's debut podium finish at the event.
Arshad finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympic Games with a final throw of 86.1 meters.
In the last edition of the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, Neeraj secured the gold medal, while Arshad earned a bronze. At this year's Budapest World Championships, Neeraj and Arshad battled closely for the top two podium spots.
In May 2017, Nadeem clinched a bronze medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku with a top throw of 76.33 meters.
Now, Arshad has successfully qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics during the event.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by PTI)
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