CWG: Nadeem's horror run continues as Olympic champion flops in javelin final

Arshad Nadeem's horror run continued as the Paris Olympics gold medallist crashed out from the men's javelin final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Friday, July 31. Nadeem was eliminated after failing to make into the top 8 after three throws. Arshad ended up in the ninth spot. INDIA AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES, JULY 31 UPDATESNadeem could only muster a best throw of 77.41m as he struggled to find any rhythm during the contest and failed to impress. Nadeem began his 2026 season with a ninth-place finish at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event held in Switzerland two weeks ago. Competing for the first time since November last year, the Pakistani javelin thrower managed a best effort of 78.47m and was unable to cross the 80m mark.Nadeem arrived in Glasgow as the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, having clinched gold in Birmingham 2022 with a record throw of 90.18m. The mark not only established new Commonwealth Games and Pakistan national records but also made him the first South Asian man to breach the 90-metre barrier in javelin. Since winning the Paris Olympics, Nadeem has struggled to stay fit and underwent surgery before the World Athletics Championships last year. While he went head-to-head against arch-rival Neeraj Chopra at the event, the Pakistan star struggled for rhythm and consistency and was eliminated early.A similar story unfolded on Friday.NADEEM STRUGGLES FOR CONSISTENCY Nadeem's start was the worst possible one as he stepped over the line, and it was called as a foul throw. While he got 77.41 m with the second attempt, the rest of the pack had already moved ahead with Neeraj Chopra being in the lead with a 85.83m throw.The pressure was fully on the Olympic champion heading into third attempt, knowing that he needed to pull a rabbit out of the hat.However, the final throw measured just 75.39m, and it wasn't enough in the end. Nadeem will be aiming to bounce back quickly and get ready for the Asian Games, where he will be up against Neeraj and Sri Lankan sensation Rumesh Tharanga. - EndsPublished On: Aug 1, 2026 01:47 IST