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Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem continues to stand tall among the world’s elite javelin throwers, securing fourth position in the latest global rankings released by World Athletics on Saturday.
With 1370 points to his name, Arshad finds himself among the sport’s finest, despite competing in just one ranking event this year.
The Mian Channu-born athlete clinched gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok last month with a throw of 86.40 metres, marking his only competitive appearance so far this season.
His limited outings have impacted his ability to climb higher in the rankings, but opportunities remain.
Arshad Nadeem is expected to feature in two to three international events ahead of the World Athletics Championships in September—tournaments that could prove crucial in boosting his rating and form heading into the biggest meets of the year.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, Arshad’s long-time rival on the international circuit, currently sits at the top of the javelin rankings with 1445 points.
He is followed closely by Grenada’s Anderson Peters (1431) and Germany’s Julian Weber (1407). Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (1346) and Kenya’s Julius Yego (1314) round off the top six.
On the women’s side, Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi leads with 1405 points, ahead of Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos (1351), South Africa’s Jo-Ane du Plessis (1318), and Greece’s Elina Tzengko (1309).
Arshad’s current ranking is another reminder of his incredible rise over the last few years.
He made headlines around the world last year after his gold-medal performance at the Paris Olympics, where he stunned the field with a record-breaking 92.97-metre throw, shattering the previous Olympic mark and etching his name in sporting history.
That throw not only made him the first Pakistani athlete to win Olympic gold in track and field but also the only South Asian javelin thrower to cross the 90-metre barrier.
His recent victory at the Asian Championships also carried historical significance. Arshad became the first Pakistani in over five decades to secure gold at the continental event.
The last time Pakistan won a javelin title at the Asian level was in 1973, when Allah Ditta and Muhammad Younis triumphed in the javelin and 800m events, respectively, in the Philippines.
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