Arshad Nadeem competes in the qualification round of the men's javelin throw at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo on Wednesday. Reuters

Gulf Today Report

Star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem kept Pakistan’s hopes of a track and field medal when he qualified for the final at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Wednesday.

Arshad has become the first-ever Pakistani to reached the final of any track and field event in the Olympic Games, hoping to get a medal and break the country’s 29-year-old medal-drought in the Olympics.

Pakistan took their last medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The 24-year-old Pakistani athlete is among the top 12 javelin throwers now who will compete for the medals in the final on Saturday.

Arshad’s throw was third-best of the day behind India's Neeraj Chopra (86.65m) and world leader Germany's Johannes Vetter (85.64m).

Arshad, who once wanted to become a cricket player, said before the Olympics that he was considering a 90m throw at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 24-year-old thrower from Punjab province finished above Germany's Julian Weber and Czech's Jakub Vadlejch to win his group and a place in the medal round — a performance that got his coach out of his seat applauding.

Arshad Nadeem competes in the men's javelin throw qualification. Reuters

Speaking to the media after qualifying for the final, Arshad said he was thankful to Almighty Allah and for the support given to him by Pakistanis. He also requested the nation to pray for his success in the final.

The athlete also thanked his coach for his tireless efforts in training him for the Olympics. "We will keep performing like this," he said, ending with an emphatic "Pakistan Zindabad.

He is also one of the first Pakistani athletes to secure direct qualification for the Olympics, thanks to his gold medal-winning throw at South Asian Games in Nepal in December 2019.