ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s star javelin thrower and Olympic champion, Arshad Nadeem, has been ranked fourth in the latest world rankings released by the World Athletics Federation.
According to the official update, Arshad holds the fourth spot with 1,370 points, an impressive feat considering he has participated in only one ranking event this year.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, Arshad’s longtime rival, currently leads the rankings with 1,445 points. He is followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peters (1,431 points) and Germany’s Julian Weber (1,407 points). Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (1,346) and Kenya’s Julius Yego (1,314) round off the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
Arshad’s only outing this season came last month at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, where he struck gold with a throw of 86.40 meters. While his limited participation has affected his ranking climb, he remains well-positioned ahead of key competitions.
The Pakistani athlete is expected to take part in two or three more international events before the World Athletics Championships in September, contests that could significantly boost both his points and performance ahead of the season’s major meets.
Arshad Nadeem made history at the Paris Olympics 2024, where he ended Pakistan’s 32-year Olympic medal drought by clinching gold with a record throw of 92.97 meters, becoming the first-ever individual Olympic gold medalist from Pakistan.
With six out of seven Pakistani athletes disqualified from their respective events, Arshad emerged as the nation’s only medal hope, and delivered. The last time Pakistan stood on an Olympic podium was in 1992, when the national hockey team claimed bronze at the Barcelona Games.
