Arshad lacked fitness before Glasgow, says former coach

He suffered a shock exit after failing to reach the top eight

KARACHI:

Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari, a former coach of Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, said the javelin thrower was not at his peak fitness before leaving for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games where he endured a disappointing campaign.

"I saw him when he was doing throwing training and did not see the kind of spark in him that was required for winning medals at a major event," Bukhari told The Express Tribune from Lahore on Sunday.

"Fitness is the most important thing and the basic element for an athlete. If you are not fit, you should not go for an event," he said.

Bukhari, who coached Arshad for eight years and guided him to qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, said fitness had always been his primary focus.

"When I was Arshad's coach, I used to focus more on fitness," he said.

Recalling the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics, Bukhari said Arshad had contracted COVID-19 and was also struggling with an elbow injury.

"Arshad had COVID and was suffering from elbow pain before the Tokyo Olympics. He had told me that if he did not achieve full fitness, he would not go. However, I worked hard with him and made him fitter and you saw that his throw in Tokyo was quite good," Bukhari said.

He stressed that athletes should undergo mandatory fitness tests before being cleared for international competitions.

"Fitness tests are a must before fielding an athlete in any international meet. We have abolished all these things," he said.

Arshad endured a shock exit at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, failing to qualify for the top eight after finishing ninth following his first three throws in the 12-man finals.

The result contrasted sharply with his historic performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he stunned the athletics world with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 metres to win gold.

Although Arshad won several medals after the Paris Olympics, his performances did not match the standard he had set with his Olympic triumph.

The throws were not of his stature, and it was a worrying sign for the Mian Channu-born athlete with tremendous potential.

Bukhari was removed as Arshad's coach by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) after the athlete finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics. Salman Butt was subsequently appointed as Arshad's mentor and coach and has accompanied him in those roles ever since.

Despite the recent setback, Bukhari said he remained confident Arshad could regain top form.

"Arshad does not need a big throw because he has already managed one at the Olympics. What he needs is to correct his mindset and attitude. These are important things if he wants to achieve more distinctions," he said.

Bukhari also criticised Salman Butt, alleging that he had distanced Arshad from both the Athletics Federation of Pakistan and his former coach.

"He has taken the athlete away from the Athletics Federation of Pakistan and his former coach," Bukhari said.

"We are ready to help him return to his actual position. We have done this before, and we can do this now as well," he added.

Bukhari also called for greater cooperation among Pakistan's sports governing bodies to improve the country's performances on the international stage.

"Our country is brimming with talent and if our sports bodies join hands and work for the promotion of sports, we can do much better in the international circuit," he said.