ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem endured a disappointing end to his Commonwealth Games title defense on Friday, crashing out of the men's javelin throw final after failing to finish among the top eight following the opening three attempts.
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage clinched the gold medal with a best throw of 89.75 meters, while India's Neeraj Chopra took silver with 85.83 meters and fellow Indian Yash Vir Singh secured bronze after producing 85.41 meters.
Nadeem opened the competition with a foul before throwing 77.41 meters on his second attempt and 75.39 meters on his third. His best effort of 77.41 meters was not enough to keep him in the top eight, ending his campaign before the final three rounds.
The defending Commonwealth champion had entered the final determined to retain the title he won four years ago. He qualified for the final in seventh place after registering a seasonal-best throw of 78.63 meters in the qualification round.
Ahead of the event, Nadeem had acknowledged the pressure of defending his crown.
"There is also pressure that I have been the champion for four years, and now I will need to do well again to retain the title," he told the Associated Press of Pakistan earlier this month, adding that he was prepared for the challenge despite expecting tough competition.
The final featured a strong field that included Chopra, Grenada's Anderson Peters, Sri Lanka's Pathirage and Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott.
Born in Mian Channu in 1997, Nadeem remains Pakistan's most successful track and field athlete. He won Pakistan's first-ever Olympic athletics gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where his record-breaking 92.97-meter throw set new Olympic and Asian records.
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