CWG 2026: Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem puts behind rain-hit preparation ahead of Commonwealth Games title defense

Despite being hit by inclement weather in Switzerland during his preparations, defending Commonwealth Games (CWG) javelin champion Arshad Nadeem is all geared up for his title defense in Glasgow, his coach Salman Butt said. Pakistan is yet to win a medal in CWG 2026.

Having competed for the first time since November earlier this month at t the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern meeting in Switzerland, Nadeem wasn't at his best and opened his season with an underwhelming show. His series read - X (no show), 74.87m, 73.26m, X (no show), 73.39m, 78.47m - and finished ninth in the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event.

Having struggled to find rhythm in Switzerland, Butt said Nadeem adapted to the conditions in Glasgow ahead of the qualifiers on July 30. "Look, the rain didn't allow Arshad a proper build-up before the competition and he took time to adjust to the wet surface conditions," Butt told PTI.

"He couldn't settle into a rhythm in Switzerland but now is adjusting to similar conditions in Glasgow. He is all keyed up for the qualifiers and wants to do well again in this competition," added Butt. However, Nadeem's poor outing in Luzern doesn't rule him out of a medal contention.

India vs Pakistan show at Glasgow

In Glasgow, both Nadeem and India's Neeraj Chopra will be the biggest crowd-pullers in the men's javelin final. Ever since the duo started, both Nadeem and Chopra had shared a strong rivalry in javelin and will once again be in the spotlight. Both Chopra and Nadeem are expected to make it easy in the Qualifiers. The men's javelin final is on July 31.

In fact, during 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Nadeem finished eighth with a best effort of 76.02, while Chopra went on to clinch the gold medal with a 86.47m throw.

The Pakistani star, who won the Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham in 2022 in the absence of India's Neeraj Chopra, will be joined by compatriot Muhammad Yasir in the qualification round. India will field Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh in the event.

While Neeraj missed the 2022 CWG due to fitness issues, Nadeem went on to claim the gold with a throw of 90.18m. Twenty athletes will compete in the qualification round, with the top 12 advancing to the final. The automatic qualification mark has been set at 83 metres.

It will be a tough fight for the gold as the line-up will feature Chopra, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka, Anderson Peters of Grenada and Nadeem. India's Rohit Yadav, who hurled his spear to 87.05m last month, will also be in medal contention if he repeats his performance.