Nagoya, September 28, 2026: Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem finished fourth in the Asian Games javelin throw final on Monday despite producing a season-best effort of 80.29 metres at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
Competing in heavy rain and on a slick runway, Arshad struggled to find his rhythm early in the competition. He opened with 76.69m before fouling his second attempt.
The Pakistani athlete responded with his best throw of the evening on his third attempt, sending the javelin 80.29m to move into fourth place. However, he was unable to improve his position, recording fouls on each of his final three attempts.
Sri Lanka’s world No. 1 Rumesh Pathirage dominated the competition to claim gold with a throw of 88.55m.
Pathirage was third after three rounds with 83.56m before producing a massive 88.33m throw on his fourth attempt to move ahead of the two Indian competitors. He improved further in his sixth and final throw with 88.55m.
India’s Yashvir Singh won silver after recording a personal-best 85.72m on his final attempt, while compatriot Rohit Yadav took bronze with 84.35m.
Yashvir had opened with 83.56m, while Rohit briefly moved into second place with his 84.35m effort in the third round.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Yasir finished ninth with a best throw of 73.50m.
The fourth-place finish adds to a challenging season for Arshad, who won Olympic gold in Paris with a record-breaking 92.97m throw.
He finished ninth at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and fifth at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Pathirage, meanwhile, continued his remarkable 2026 campaign. The 23-year-old Sri Lankan has won 11 of his 12 competitions this year and has surpassed the 90-metre mark three times.
His season also includes victories at the Diamond League Final, Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
Pathirage’s Asian Games victory came just two weeks after all five of his competition javelins were reportedly damaged during a flight from Budapest, where he had won the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
