Arshad Nadeem fails to clinch medal in Asian Games javelin final

Arshad Nadeem, the Olympic gold medalist for Pakistan, missed out on a medal at the Asian Games javelin throw final. He settled for fourth place with a throw of 80.29 meters. Only Sri Lanka's Ramesh Pathirage outdid Nadeem, securing the gold medal with an impressive 88.55 meters. In the competition, Nadeem only managed to throw the javelin two times—four of his six attempts resulted in no valid mark.

His best throw of 80.29 meters left him unable to clinch a podium spot. In the Asian Games, the top three finishers were Sri Lanka's Ramesh Pathirage, India's Yashvir Singh, and Pakistan's Rohit Yadav. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Muhammad Yasir also participated but did not make it into the medal contention. His best throw was 73.50 meters, placing him ninth among 14 athletes.

This result is especially important for Nadeem, considering he had previously failed to win a medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. At the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Nadeem finished ninth with a best throw of 77.41 meters. His first effort was a foul, but his second throw of 77.41 meters set the best performance of the day.

His third throw was 75.20 meters. His best throw of 77.41 meters was not enough to secure a top eight spot, leading to his early elimination. At the Commonwealth Games, Sri Lanka's Ramesh Pathirage won the gold with 89.75 meters, India's Neeraj Chopra claimed the silver with 85.83 meters, and Yashvir Singh won the bronze with 85.41 meters.

Prior to the Asian Games, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Nadeem won Pakistan's first gold medal in the javelin throw in 40 years, breaking the Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters.