No India vs Pakistan as injured Arshad pulls out of javelin final

Arshad Nadeem. Pic/AFP

It was being touted as a mouth-watering India v Pakistan clash long before the Asiad began here, but an unfortunate injury has fractured the prospects of a Neeraj Chopra versus Arshad Nadeem javelin battle.

Nadeem's participation could have ensured Pakistan the first individual male medallist at these Games. So far, they only have a men's squash team silver and a bronze for Kishmala Talat in the women's 10m air pistol event.

However, a MRI scan following persistent pain in his right knee, has revealed a chronic injury, ruling Nadeem out of the javelin competition to be held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre here today.

A statement released by the Pakistan Olympic Association said that Arshad had complained about knee pain after his very first training session here on September 27. "Arshad complained to Dr Asad Abbas, who was accompanying him, that he has been grappling with persistent pain for several months, a concern that has become particularly pressing in the aftermath of the World Athletics Championship. On 2nd October, he again complained of pain in the right knee and expressed a desire to undergo an evaluation to determine the impact on his ability to participate in the javelin throw event," said the statement.

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The MRI scan at a local hospital here revealed a chronic injury and Arshad decided against participating so that he does not aggravate things and possibly hamper his training and participation for next year's Paris Olympics.

At the last Asian Games in Jakarta, Chopra (88.06m) won gold, while China's Lui Qizhen (82.22m) took silver and Arshad won bronze (80.75m). Though Chopra has always beaten Arshad whenever they have faced off in the past, the Pakistani boasts of an impressive personal best throw of 90.18m at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, while the 90m-mark remains elusive for India's World and Olympic champion, who fell agonisingly short of it (89.94m) at last year's Stockholm Diamond League.