Arshad qualifies for javelin throw final

By our correspondent
PARIS: Pakistan’s star javelin thrower and world silver medallist Arshad Nadeem on Tuesday lived up to the billing and blasted his way into the finals of the men’s javelin throw event of the Paris Olympics.
Arshad, featuring in Group B qualification phase, managed a decent throw of 86.59m in his first attempt to qualify for the Thursday’s final.
This was also his season’s best throw as it was just his second meet during the last one year. He had a few days ago managed a throw of 84.21m in the Diamond League, also in Paris, and shrugged off his rustiness before the Paris Olympics.
“It was a fine start from Arshad,” Arshad’s former coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari told this correspondent.
“He was seen in fine element and I hope he will deliver in the finals,” said Fayyaz, who has coached Arshad for eight years. And it was under him that Arshad had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics for the first time.
Arshad finished overall fourth and third in his Group B following defending champion and world champion Neeraj Chopra of India who made a fantastic effort of 89.34m at his first attempt to make it to the finals.
This was also Neeraj’s season best. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada finished overall second with a massive throw of 88.63m to make it to finals.
Julian Weber of Germany also seemed in fine element as he managed 87.76m throw to finish overall third and first in Group A.
The others who made it to the finals include: Julius Yego (Kenya, 85.97m), Mauricio Luiz da Silva (Brazil, 85.91m), Jacob Vadlejch (Czech Republic, 85.63m), Toni Keranen (Finland, 85.27m), Andrian Mardare (Moldova, 84.13m), Oliver Helander (Finland, 83.81m), Keshorn Walcott, Trinidad and Tobago, 83.02m) and Lassi Etelatalo (Finland, 82.91m).