LAHORE: Athletics Federation of Pakistan’s (AFP) chairman Major General (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi has said that the country’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will be sent abroad for training if he regains his top fitness.
“We will send him abroad for training once he regains his fitness,” Sahi told ‘The News’ in an informal chat.
Arshad, who last year won silver in the World Athletics Championship in Hungary, is nursing a right knee injury which forced him to skip the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
Arshad had developed right knee injury during the 34th National Games in Quetta last May. He then passed through rehab, missed the Asian Championship in Bangkok and got top fitness for the World Championship in Hungary where he created history for the country by winning the first-ever silver medal. Later it was expected that he would easily win a medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou but he decided to skip the quadrennial event after developing the right knee injury.
Arshad recently was hit by dengue but sources close to him said that he has now fully recovered.
Arshad’s coach Salman Butt told ‘The News’ the other day that he would soon resume his rehab. “We will make every effort to make him fit for the Paris Olympics,” Butt said.
He said that he would be sent abroad for training, adding he would also be fielded in a couple of international events before the Olympics.
Asked how he will be able to prepare him when he is yet to begin training due to injury when the Olympics are just six months away, Butt said that he is a fine athlete and once he recovers he will be able to reach complete fitness by then.
“We are working on his fitness issues. We have already shared his tests reports with England-based Dr Bajwa and if there is need then we will also send Arshad to England for treatment,” Butt said.
Arshad qualified for the Paris Olympics during the World Championship in Hungary. He is a bright medal hope of the country in the Paris Olympics. On the other hand Pakistan’s No2 Mohammad Yasir has already started training here at the Punjab Stadium and he is also expected to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The AFP chairman Akram Sahi told The News that Yasir will be given every opportunity to press for the Olympics seat.
“He is a good athlete, although he did not play well in the Asian Games he can improve. Definitely we will send him for international events so that he could press for the Olympics seat,” Sahi said.
Yasir shot to fame when he won bronze in the Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok last year with a throw of 79.93 metre.
He then finished fourth in the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Yasir, who plays for WAPDA, will have to manage 85.50 metre throw if he is to make it to the Olympics.