GLASGOW: Pakistan’s star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has qualified for the men’s javelin throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after finishing seventh in the qualification round with a best throw of 78.63 metres.
No athlete managed to meet the automatic qualifying standard of 84 metres during the three-attempt qualification round. As a result, the top 12 athletes based on their best throws secured places in the final.
Arshad qualifies despite missing automatic mark
Arshad’s best effort of 78.63m was enough to finish seventh overall and comfortably book his place in the medal round.
Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Tharanga led the qualification standings with a throw of 82.84m, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second with 81.29m. South Africa’s Douw Smit claimed third place after throwing 80.64m.
The remaining top finishers included:
- Ben East (England): 80.38m
- Neeraj Chopra (India): 79.61m
- MacEntyre (Australia): 78.91m
- Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan): 78.63m
Yasir Sultan misses out
Pakistan’s Yasir Sultan narrowly missed qualification after finishing 14th with a best throw of 74.36 metres, falling outside the top 12 required to advance.
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Defending champion eyes another medal
Arshad enters the final as the defending Commonwealth Games champion after his historic performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he won the gold medal with a massive 90.18-metre throw.
That remarkable effort not only set a new Commonwealth Games record and Pakistan national record, but also made Arshad the first South Asian athlete to surpass the 90-metre mark in the men’s javelin throw.
With another final now secured, Pakistan’s Olympic and Commonwealth champion will be aiming to defend his title and add another major international medal to his growing list of achievements.
