Former Pakistan record holder urges Arshad Nadeem to train in Europe

Zafar Ibn-e-Yaqoob says Germany offers the ideal environment for success in future events

KARACHI:

Pakistan's former national shot put record holder Zafar Ibn-e-Yaqoob has urged Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem to train alongside the world's top athletes in Europe, saying it is essential if the javelin thrower is to maintain his status among the sport's elite.

"Unless he trains with the world's leading athletes, he will not be able to sustain his top position in the javelin world," Zafar told The Express Tribune in an interview from Lahore.

He said Germany would be the ideal training base for the 2024 Olympic champion.

"From now onwards he should make Europe his training abode. There he will be able to maintain his standards and it will help him win more titles for Pakistan," Zafar said.

His comments came after Arshad faced criticism following his performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where he failed to defend the title he won in Birmingham in 2022 with a Games record throw of 90.18 metres.

In Glasgow, Arshad finished ninth after the opening three throws of the 12-man final and failed to qualify for the top eight.

Zafar also said Arshad's coach, Salman Butt, should accompany him abroad.

"Salman Butt should also go with Arshad, but I don't think by staying here he can help him sustain his position as the world's leading javelin thrower," he said.

Arshad's next major assignments are the World Ultimate Athletics Championships which will be held in Hungary from September 11-13, followed by the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

Zafar said Arshad also needed a stronger strength and conditioning programme.

"I don't think he has done any proper weight training," he said. "It is very important for achieving top performances on the international circuit."

He described Arshad as a naturally gifted athlete who would benefit from training in a world-class environment.

"Arshad is a gifted player and it is important to put him in a better training environment," Zafar said.

Arshad stunned the athletics world by winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a Games record throw of 92.97 metres.

Since then, however, his performances have dipped despite winning gold medals at the Islamic Games and the Asian Championships, with his winning distances falling short of the standards he had previously set.

The 29-year-old also won a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, becoming Pakistan's first medallist at the event.