Arshad Nadeem hopes to be fit for World Athletics Championship

• Arshad Nadeem won a gold medal for Pakistan in the Islamic Solidarity Games
• Currently undergoing rehabilitation after having elbow surgery in London.
• Javelin thrower Nadeem has broken his own Commonwealth Games record.

Arshad Nadeem, a gifted javelin thrower from Pakistan who is presently undergoing rehabilitation, declared on Friday that if he is able to compete in the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19 to 27, that will be his primary focus.

Nadeem won a gold medal for Pakistan in the Islamic Solidarity Games and the Commonwealth Games last year.

“The World Championship is my main goal, and I’ll attempt to get in top shape before that,” Nadeem explained to ‘The News’ in a comprehensive interview.

“And if I heal sooner, I might participate in the Asian Championship,” he quickly added.

Nadeem has been through a rehabilitation programme at the PSB Coaching Center in Lahore after having elbow surgery in London a few months ago.

The rehabilitation period should have lasted seven to eight weeks, but Arshad warned that because of the chilly weather, it might last longer.

“You have to accept such things,” he remarked. “Now I am performing light training along with the physiotherapy which is a routine exercise. I don’t feel any pain in my elbow, but the exact situation won’t be known until I start intense training.”

“After a few of months of training, I’ll know exactly where my fitness stands,” said Nadeem, who suffered an elbow injury a few years ago during an international event in Iran.

He competed in the Tokyo Olympics, the Globe Athletics Championship, the Commonwealth Games, and the Islamic Solidarity Games despite the injury, and his performances dazzled the world.

What a superb performance from Arshad Nadeem!

He earns Pakistan their first track and field Gold after 60 years 🥇🥇, setting precedence with a new Games record.

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Congratulations @NOCPakistan 👏🏾#CommonwealthGames2022 | #B2022 pic.twitter.com/6H5YlKxeLg

— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) August 7, 2022

Nadeem is on the road to recovery just in time for the 19th Asian Games, which will take place in Hangzhou in September and October this year.

At the last Asian Games, which Indonesia hosted in 2018, the javelin thrower took home the bronze medal.

“Yes, this year is jam-packed with events, but right now I’m focusing on my full recovery, and the way I’m progressing, I’m hopeful I’ll be able to achieve top fitness before all of these key events,” he said.

Nadeem claimed that at the Sports Board Punjab’s facilities, he swims in the morning and trains in the evening (SBP).

It is important to note that Nadeem is participating in the official camp being hosted in Lahore by the Pakistan Sports Board with backing from the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP). Shajjar Abbas, the country’s top sprinter, is also working with him.

An AFP senior official recently revealed to “The News” that plans are being made to transfer Nadeem to Germany, where he will receive rehabilitation and train with a German coach who will be overseen by the Pakistani embassy there.

Nadeem must also compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, thus the AFP wants to train him for a considerable amount of time in Germany.

Nadeem managed a throw of 90.18 metres in Birmingham last year, breaking the 90-meter barrier. He is capable of winning an Olympic medal in Paris.

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