Star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem withdrew from the javelin throw final event at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which was scheduled for the next day. He made this decision due to recurring pain in his previously injured leg. Arshad had suffered an injury during training, and MRI reports confirmed that his old injury had resurfaced, forcing him to miss the Asian Games.
Arshad Nadeem had a remarkable year, earning a silver medal at the World Athletics Championship in August. This achievement was historic for Pakistan as it marked their first-ever medal in the tournament. Arshad secured the silver with his best throw, covering a distance of 87.82 meters in his third attempt. He started slowly with a 74.80m throw in his first attempt but made a strong comeback with an 82.81m throw in his second attempt.
Unfortunately, his subsequent throws were not enough to surpass Neeraj Chopra’s 88.17-meter mark, resulting in his settling for the silver medal. Prior to this, Arshad Nadeem had secured his spot in the World Athletics Championship final in Budapest and qualified for the Paris Olympics in 2024 during the World Athletics Championship qualifying round.
In other Asian Games events, Pakistan’s men’s kabaddi team claimed their first victory of the tournament by defeating the Republic of Korea with a score of 56-21. Chinese Taipei secured their second consecutive win by beating Japan 38-22. Defending champions Iran defeated Malaysia convincingly with a score of 53-23, marking their second win in the tournament. India had a strong start against Bangladesh and maintained their dominance throughout, winning comfortably with a score of 55-18.
