Pakistan’s Arshad takes aim at gold in Olympics javelin throw contest
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Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who became the first athlete from the country to book his place in the Olympics final, will compete in the javelin throw final at the Olympic Stadium later today, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
A gold medallist in the last South Asian Games, Arshad Nadeem stands among the 12 contestants who are appearing in the final contest including the top Indian player.
In the first round of the final competition, each of the athletes will get three attempts to throw. This will follow with the eight athletes on the top advancing into round two with three more attempts - the rest of the players will be eliminated.
On Wednesday, the 24-year-old from Mian Channu qualified for the final of men’s javelin throw with a throw of 85.16m - well beyond the qualification mark of 83.50m. His first attempt was 78.50m. The first two spots were taken by India’s Neeraj Chopra (86.65m) and Germany’s Johannes Vetter (85.64m) respectively.
Arshad Nadeem requested Pakistanis to remember him in their prayers as he gears up to play in the final round.
Pakistan, India face off
The arch-rivals Pakistan and India are set to face each other in the final showdown today after a gap of 53 years as star javelin throwers, Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra, have moved to the medal stage after topping their respective groups of men's javelin throw.
India’s Neeraj Chopra was the first to qualify for the finals as he hurled a massive 86.65m throw in his first attempt at the Group A qualification contest. He also topped the entire qualification event, becoming the first Indian to do so in an athletics qualification event.
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem in his second attempt displayed a stunning show by a throw of 85.16m that put him on the top of the Group B qualification. The throw also placed him at the number three position in both the groups combined, behind Chopra and World no 1 Johannes Vetter of Germany.
The last Olympic medal for Pakistan was a bronze, claimed by the hockey team at Barcelona in 1992. Before that, boxer Hussain Shah had brought an individual medal home in 1988.