Arshad Nadeem seeks nation's prayers ahead of Paris Olympics javelin final

Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem has called on the nation to pray for his success as he prepares for the final round of the men’s javelin throw competition at the Paris Olympics 2024. Nadeem aims to win the first Olympic medal for Pakistan in decades.

Nadeem qualified for the final round on Tuesday with an impressive 86.59-metre throw in the qualifying round. Athletes needed to throw a minimum distance of 84 metres to advance to the final, which is scheduled for Thursday.

“I have qualified for the final of the Paris Olympics 2024 as a result of your prayers,” Nadeem said in a video message uploaded on his Instagram account. “Please keep praying for me; the final is on August 8 at 11:25 pm. So please keep praying for me so I perform well and win a medal for Pakistan.”

Nadeem, a nine-time international medallist, finished fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is Pakistan’s best hope for a medal in the ongoing competition. He won silver at the World Championships last year and gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 with a massive 90.18-metre throw.

The last time Pakistan won a medal at the Olympics was in 1992 in Barcelona, when the field hockey team secured bronze.

In the qualifying round, India’s Neeraj Chopra secured the top spot from Group B with a throw of 89.34 metres, followed by Grenadian athlete Anderson Peters with a throw of 88.63 metres.

Germany’s Julian Weber topped Group A with a throw of 87.76 metres, followed by Kenya’s Julius Yego, who threw the javelin at 85.97 metres. Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch recorded an impressive throw of 85.63 metres, while Finland’s Toni Keranen threw 85.27 metres.