Arshad Nadeem withdraws from Lausanne Diamond League to undertake South Africa training stint

Arshad Nadeem has withdrawn from the Lausanne Diamond League meeting scheduled for August 21 and will instead undertake an overseas training stint in South Africa, Geo reported. He is currently training at Punjab Stadium in Lahore and is expected to travel to Potchefstroom for a two-week camp once he receives his visa.

The decision follows a disappointing Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow less than two weeks earlier, in which the 29-year-old, entering as the defending champion, finished ninth in the final with a best effort of 77.41m. Nadeem had been initially included on the entry list for the Lausanne meeting. His previous major wins include gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 with a Games record of 90.18m and Olympic gold in Paris with a throw of 92.97m that set an Olympic record.

The Glasgow outing was described in the report as one of the poorest major-event performances of his career. He qualified for the final with a best throw of 78.63m, which stood as his season-best at the time, and finished seventh in qualifying. In the final he could not improve and failed to make the top eight after the opening three rounds.

Nadeem attributed the performance to the cold conditions in Europe and said his body became stiff, disrupting his run-up. "The weather in Europe was extremely cold, which stiffened my body and I was unable to run properly," Nadeem said. "The run-up in javelin throw is the main thing, and I could not execute it during the event. You may have seen in many of my previous competitions that my run-up is usually very smooth, but this time it wasn't because my body had become stiff due to the cold conditions. My fitness was good and my health was fine, but ultimately whatever Allah wills is what happens."

Rather than return immediately to competition in Lausanne, Nadeem will spend the coming weeks training in South Africa. Potchefstroom is familiar territory for the Olympic champion, who has previously completed training stints there. The report states his focus will then shift to the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, followed by the Asian Games.

The decision to prioritise a training camp over another Diamond League appearance is intended to rebuild his form ahead of the season's next major assignments, with the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest and the Asian Games identified as his immediate targets.