SAG gold medallist Arshad Nadeem training in China to fulfil Tokyo Olympics dream

Pakistani javelin thrower counting days before he represents country at highest stage

KARACHI: It is easy to dream but living up to it requires nerves of steel, even so then when the time is running out. That's how Pakistan's first athlete to meet the entry standard for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics direct qualification, javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, feels.

The Khanewal-based athlete is training to better his record for Tokyo Olympics in China, but he believes the clock is ticking for him.



Traditionally Pakistan would send the track and field athletes to Olympics on quota places but Rashid has proven to be an exception. He not only improved his personal best record but created a new one at the 2019 South Asian Games in Nepal, with an 86.29-metre throw. The entry standard for Tokyo Olympics javelin throw was 85 metres.

2019 SAG: Pakistan’s javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem wins gold, qualifies for 2020 Olympics

However he wants to hit the 90 metre mark and maybe more than that.

He left for China, where the Athletics Federation of Pakistan have also sent four other athletes, and Arshad is feeling the pressure.

"I'm not here to have fun. That can be done later," the 2018 Asian Games bronze medallist told The Express Tribune. "I understand that other athletes are happy, I'm happy too, but Olympics are right around the corner. I have six months and a two-month training here in China but I feel I need to do extra work. The facilities here are good but I know I'm running against the clock. Other javelin throwers at the Olympics have been training for it for years, three to four years, and they have more resources, including coaches, and I somehow feel that there is lot more to be done."

Arshad says ideally he would have preferred to train in Finland or Germany but he has to work with what he has got. The 23-year-old understands his responsibility as the sole athlete to have qualified for the Olympics directly for Pakistan. He has improved progressively throughout his career each year and believes him abandoning cricket was the best decision he took.

"Not becoming a cricketer was the best thing that happened to me. I wouldn't be in the Olympics otherwise. I know I have a natural talent for athletics and I'm grateful, but being a non-cricket athlete in Pakistan has challenges, like not getting the required resources and facilities," said Arshad.

Going to China for training was a call that Arshad took with mixed emotions and it almost feels like he had to make a sacrifice for the country one more time. The young athlete became the father of a son and he said that he took the days off and left for China two weeks later than the given date that was December 27.

"I think my son will be lucky for me, I had to see him before I left for two months," said Arshad as he was still considering what to name his son on his way to China.



He added that so far with his training, which began on Monday, he is spending at least three hours on the field, while many young athletes from the academy and the coaches have been impressed with him.

"They even asked me if I could train them," said Arshad. "But I'm here to train for myself. I'm continuously thinking about ways to maximise my strength and speed along with my fitness, but I do feel that I miss my coaches from back home too. However this is just a start here."

Arshad was ranked 12th in the world rankings in 2019, but he needs competitions too. He said he is hoping for more action in the next six months.

"I understand that there is a lot of pressure, maybe internally too. I'm taking it as a challenge as I'm counting each day to Tokyo Olympics. I need a plan for it. I had dreamt of representing Pakistan in Olympics one day, now I'm half way there, but it is not until I reach Tokyo.

"My aim is to hit 90-plus metres and to win a medal there too, not just represent my nation. It is a kind responsibility too, not just a dream, but I'm hoping for the best."



Last time any notable performance in athletics came from Pakistan in 1988 Seoul Olympics in men's 4x100 relay and there has been a decline in the focus and standard of athletics since then.

Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad eyes Olympic gold after South Asian Games glory

Arshad's story is about going against the odds, managing to rise to the occasion and training diligently in Mian Chunnu, even when he would have no resources besides what his domestic department, Wapda, provided.

"I want to see the change, I want people to aspire to be athletes on track and field too, but Pakistanis need to understand it first. I know I'm gifted, I have confidence on my talent but at times we need more than that, and competing in Olympics takes a lot," said Arshad as he looks on for what the year has in store for him.