Arshad Nadeem admitted he will be under pressure at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the defending champion
The Pakistan javelin star will lead his country’s contingent and aims to defend his 2022 Birmingham gold medal, where he won with a 90.18m throw
Nadeem is set to renew his rivalry with India’s Neeraj Chopra, who missed the previous Commonwealth Games due to injury
Pakistan’s Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem on Monday admitted that he will be under pressure during the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as he enters the event as defending champion.
Nadeem will lead Pakistan's contingent in the Commonwealth Games beginning in Glasgow on July 23 and he is set to rekindle an old rivalry with Indian superstar Neeraj Chopra.
"There is more pressure on me because I am the defending champion in the coming games but I have prepared well," Nadeem told PTI.
“It is good to be getting back to competition and yes I want to successfully defend my Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow,” he added.
Chopra missed the last Commonwealth Games due to an injury and Nadeem walked away with the gold medal in 2022 in Birmingham with a throw of 90.18m.
“I know what I need to do to regain the title in a strong field,” Nadeem said.
Nadeem's only big win over Chopra came in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris when he won the gold medal with an effort of 92.97m.
Nadeem and Chopra have crossed each other's path a number of times in recent years but their last appearance in the 2025 World Athletics Championship in Tokyo ended in disappointment for both of them.
Chopra finished eighth and Nadeem 10th, disappointing their fans as they struggled with injuries.
The 29-year old Nadeem, who has been training in Lahore with his coaches, said he would be taking part in an international meet in Switzerland before going to the Commonwealth Games.
He said this would allow him to understand his strength and physical condition ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
