Pakistan's Arshad bags gold, Yasir wins silver at Islamic Solidarity Games

RIYADH: Pakistan's star athlete Arshad Nadeem added another feather to his cap by successfully defending his Islamic Solidarity Games' gold medal in men's Javelin here at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium on Wednesday. His compatriot Muhammad Yasir clinched silver.

Nadeem got off to a decent start in the final by registering a throw of 75.44m, which immediately put him at the top of the standings.

The star athlete threw his farthest in the second attempt – an 83.05m effort, which consolidated his lead at the top, while he followed it up with 82.48m in the next attempt to assert his dominance.

He threw at 77.06m in his fourth attempt, while his fifth was ruled out. He concluded his campaign with a 77.98m effort.

Besides him, no other athlete could breach the 80-metre barrier in each of their six attempts, with compatriot Yasir registering the next-best throw of 76.04m in his final attempt, which earned him the silver medal.

Nigeria's Samuel Adams Kure clinched the bronze medal with a throw of 76.01m, which came in the fifth attempt, and could not reclaim his second position in the standings as he managed 75.84m in his final effort.

Nadeem's medal-clinching performance at the Islamic Solidarity Games came two months after the World Athletics Championship heartbreak, where he failed to qualify for the top eight in the men’s javelin final.

He opened with a throw of 82.73 metres, followed by a foul in his second attempt. His third throw measured 82.75m, and his fourth was again ruled a foul, leaving him outside the cut needed for three additional attempts.