• AFP president Sahi is confident that Arshad Nadeem can throw the javelin 95 meters.
• A former international athlete believes that Arshad needs to address his weaknesses in order to succeed, such as his lack of speed.
• Arshad Nadeem will be looking to win gold in the 19th Asian Games, and his coach is confident that he can do so.

AFP president Major General (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi is confident that Arshad Nadeem can throw the javelin 95 meters.

“I see in Arshad 95 metres throw,” Sahi said

“This is what I see and experts of javelin also believe that he can manage 95-metre throw,” Sahi was quick to add.

A former international athlete believes that Arshad needs to address his weaknesses in order to succeed.

“I am not a javelin expert but being an athlete I know that Arshad becomes dead slow and remains in standing position when he releases the throw. He lacks speed and that is why he needs no effort to stop himself as he throws in standing position. If he boosts his run up and speed I believe he will attain the 95 metre target. I have told his coach Salman Butt and Arshad to remove this weakness,” Sahi pointed out.

Arshad Nadeem, who became the first Pakistani athlete to win a silver medal in the World Athletics Championship, will now be looking to win gold in the 19th Asian Games.

He has been sent to his hometown for a couple of days and will resume training for the Asiad soon. His coach is confident that he will be able to win gold, as he showed good fitness in the World Championship and now just needs to work on his techniques.

“Salman talked to his former South African coach during the World Championship. He is online with Salman. Before the global event Salman used to discuss with him and then would train Arshad accordingly. I personally talked to the German coach in Hungary during the World Championship. He is very keen as he knows that Arshad has the potential,” Sahi revealed.

“The German coach told me that I should send Arshad to Germany to train under him. I told him that I would like to send Arshad after the Asian Games. Salman is in contact with both these coaches. Arshad could not focus on throws due to fitness issues before the World Championship and now he will concentrate on the area and I reiterate that results in the Asian Games will be great,” Sahi said.

The coach praised Mohammad Yasir Sultan, Pakistan’s second-ranked javelin thrower and Asian bronze medalist. He also mentioned that Sultan’s name is on the list of athletes who will be representing Pakistan at the Asian Games.

“We have also given the name of Mohammad Yasir for the Asian Games. I will also call his coach Fayyaz Bukhari to focus on Yasir as you know India fielded three javelin throwers in the World Championship,” he said.

The AFP was unable to submit Yasir’s entry for the World Championship because he competed after the deadline for submissions had passed.

“I will try to encourage Yasir as he is also a gutsy boy and I hope he will also click in the Asian Games as we will compete with the Indians there,” Sahi said.

Sahi will meet with the prime minister, who is also the minister of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), to discuss arrangements for Arshad’s training abroad after the Asian Games.

“I plan to meet the premier and top officials of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) so that work could be started from now so that we could send Arshad abroad for training immediately after the Asian Games in order to prepare him for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Sahi said.

Arshad and Yasir are expected to be sent abroad for training together. They have previously been sent to South Africa for training.

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