Arshad Nadeem to Skip Lausanne Diamond League for Asian Games Focus

Pakistan’s Olympic gold-medallist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will not compete at the Lausanne Diamond League this month, choosing instead to focus on training ahead of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships and the Asian Games. Nadeem had been scheduled to appear in Lausanne on August 21 alongside a strong field that included Neeraj Chopra, Julian Weber and Anderson Peters.

The 28-year-old is currently training in Lahore and is expected to travel to South Africa once his visa is cleared. His long-time coach Salman Butt said Nadeem had decided against competing in Lausanne because he wants to be ready for the Asian Games in Japan later this year.

The decision means Nadeem will bypass one of the season’s notable javelin meetings in favour of a dedicated preparation block. His next planned competition after the South African camp is the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, scheduled from September 6 to 14, before his Asian Games appearance.

South Africa camp planned before Budapest

Nadeem is set to spend two weeks training in Potchefstroom, South Africa, under coach Terseus Liebenberg and local trainers. The venue is familiar territory for the Pakistani thrower, who previously completed training stints there before the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Olympics.

Butt said Nadeem was waiting for the visa required to make the trip. Once the travel formalities are completed, the Potchefstroom camp will become the central part of his build-up to the remaining international events on his schedule.

Skipping Lausanne removes a competitive outing from Nadeem’s calendar, but it creates time for a focused training period before Budapest and the Asian Games. The August 21 Diamond League meeting will go ahead without him, despite the expected presence of several leading names in men’s javelin.

Nadeem’s decision follows a difficult stretch in international competition this year. He did not qualify for the top eight in the final at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he finished ninth and subsequently faced criticism.

Asian Games preparation takes priority

The Glasgow final was won by Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage with a throw of 89.75 metres. India’s Neeraj Chopra and Yash Vir Singh finished second and third respectively, marking the first time two Indian athletes had appeared on the javelin podium after a final.

For Nadeem, the upcoming itinerary now begins with the South Africa training camp rather than the Lausanne competition. He is then expected to compete at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest before turning his attention to the Asian Games.

The schedule underlines the priority placed on being prepared for the major events ahead. Nadeem’s absence from Lausanne will be a notable change to the August 21 entry list, but his camp in Potchefstroom is intended to provide the preparation he and his coaching team believe is needed for the final international assignments of the year.