Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem has admitted he is still far from full fitness after undergoing calf surgery in July, even as he added yet another gold to his growing list of accolades at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh. The Pakistani javelin star, who finished a disappointing 10th at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, said the lingering effects of the surgery prevented him from performing at his usual elite level.“It gives me satisfaction that I could win another gold medal for my country and I am always grateful to Almighty Allah for his blessings,” Nadeem said. “But I am yet to get over the disappointment of the World Athletics Championships in September.”The 28-year-old, who stunned the world last year by winning Olympic gold with a colossal 92.97m throw, managed 83.05m in Riyadh — a distance he described as well below his standards.“I won gold here, but the recovery from surgery kept me from giving my best. A throw of 83.05m is not up to my standards as Olympic champion,” he said while analysing his performance.Nadeem, Pakistan’s most decorated track-and-field athlete, is now working on a comprehensive rehabilitation plan to regain full fitness by early next year. Before the surgery, the star javelin thrower had won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (90.18m) and silver at the 2023 World Championships, and earlier this year claimed the Asian Athletics Championships title in South Korea.His build-up to the Riyadh event was far from ideal — an eight-hour flight delay from Lahore and a struggle to secure the presence of his long-time coach Salman Butt, who was initially barred due to a federation dispute before being cleared by Pakistan’s Olympic Association.
