Arshad Nadeem finishes 5th at World Athletics Ultimate Championship; Sri Lanka's Pathirage steals the show

Arshad Nadeem, a gold medallist for Pakistan at the Olympics, secured fifth place at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday. Despite recording his season-best throw of 81.49m on his third attempt, his performance fell short of the impressive display by Sri Lankan sensation Rumesh Pathirage. Pathirage claimed the gold medal with a powerful 91.09m throw in the fourth round, leaving a significant gap between his effort and Nadeem's.

Grenada's Anderson Peters secured the silver position with a throw of 86.18m, while Germany's Julian Weber took the bronze with 85.89m. Nadeem's journey at the championship began poorly, as he started with a throw of 74.42m. He managed to improve to 79.66m on his second attempt, but his best effort came in the final round. According to the competition format, only the top four athletes advance to the decisive fourth round, meaning Nadeem's campaign ended after three throws.

Weber set the pace early with an initial throw of 84.09m, which he surpassed with 86.18m on his second attempt. Pathirage, who won Commonwealth gold last month, matched Weber's initial effort with 85.69m before ultimately dominating the competition. Pathirage all but secured his gold medal with an attempt of 87.11m before executing a remarkable 91.09m throw, which left his competitors in the dust.

The result marks a challenging season for Nadeem, who has been struggling to replicate the form that led to his Olympic gold in Paris, where he threw a record-breaking 92.97m. Nadeem's 2026 campaign started with a ninth-place finish in Switzerland, followed by a disappointing performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he failed to reach the final round with a best throw of just 77.41m.

As the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya approach, the men's javelin final is scheduled for September 28, where Pathirage is expected to be the overwhelming favorite.