Arshad Nadeem powers through to Commonwealth Games javelin final
Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s reigning Olympic champion, has punched his ticket to the men’s javelin throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He came through a tricky qualification round in Glasgow on Thursday to get there.
Strong winds made life hard for every thrower in the field. None of them managed to reach the automatic qualifying distance of 84 metres, which made the round unusually unpredictable.
Arshad, seen by many as a top medal contender, got things going with a throw of 78.63 metres on his first attempt. His second try was ruled a foul. He then closed out the round with a throw of 75.65 metres. That mark was not enough to hit the automatic cutoff, but it easily secured his place among the twelve finalists heading into Friday.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage led all qualifiers with a throw of 82.84 metres. Anderson Peters of Grenada, the current world champion, was next best at 81.29 metres. Only two other athletes crossed the 80-metre line, South Africa’s Douw Smit, who reached 80.64 metres, and England’s Benjamin East, who managed 80.38 metres.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, who has long been Arshad’s fiercest competitor, also booked his spot in the final. He started with a throw of 76.28 metres, then pushed further to 79.61 metres on his second attempt to confirm qualification.
India actually secured three finalists in total. Rohit Yadav joined Chopra after throwing a best of 78.37 metres, while Yashveer Singh kept improving across his attempts and eventually settled for 78.36 metres.
It was not such good news for Pakistan’s other entrant, Muhammad Yasir Sultan. He fouled his first throw, then followed up with attempts of 71.42 and 74.36 metres. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to carry him into the final.
Friday’s javelin final is scheduled for 7:45 PM Pakistan Standard Time.
Pakistan has a long history at the Commonwealth Games, having first competed back in 1954. Since then, the country has amassed 82 medals overall, including 27 gold, 27 silver, and 28 bronze.
Its most successful campaign in recent memory came at the 2022 Birmingham Games. A 68-member Pakistani contingent took part across 12 sports and ultimately finished 18th in the medal table with eight medals.
That edition also marked one of Arshad’s finest moments. He won javelin gold with a Games record throw of 90.18 metres, delivering Pakistan’s first athletics gold at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.
