Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan's Olympic gold medalist, lamented a setback in his preparations due to injury after falling short in Thursday's javelin throw final at the ongoing World Athletics Championship 2025.
Nadeem took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his heartfelt gratitude to his fans for their "unwavering support". He expressed disappointment at not winning a medal, but was proud to represent Pakistan on the international stage.
"I want to thank each and every one of you for your unwavering support and love throughout the World Athletics Championships. Although I couldn't achieve the result I had hoped for in the final, I am proud to have represented our nation on the biggest stage," Nadeem wrote in a post.
Dear Pakistanis,
— Arshad Nadeem (@ArshadOlympian1) September 18, 2025
I want to thank each and every one of you for your unwavering support and love throughout the World Athletics Championships. Although I couldn't achieve the result I had hoped for in the final, I am proud to have represented our nation on the biggest stage.…
"I know I let you all down, but I promise to come back stronger and work even harder to make you proud. To be honest, I've been dealing with an injury since July 4th, which affected my preparation and fitness level. Despite this challenge, I gave it my all, and I appreciate the experience," he said.
Nadeem ended his message by promising to "keep pushing" for Pakistan and return better prepared for future competitions.
Pakistan's medal hopes were dashed on Thursday when Nadeem failed to qualify for the top eight in the men's javelin final.
He began with an 82.73-metre throw, followed by a foul on his second attempt. His third throw measured 82.75m, and his fourth was ruled a foul, putting him outside the cut line for three more attempts.
India's defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra finished eighth with a best of 84.03m, well short of his season-best 90.23m.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago won the world title with a throw of 88.16m, his first since winning the Olympics in 2012.
Grenada's Anderson Peters won silver with 87.38m, while American Curtis Thompson took bronze with 86.67m, giving the United States its first men's javelin medal since 2007.
Sachin Yadav of India finished fourth with a personal best of 86.27m, ahead of Germany's Julian Weber, who underperformed with a best of 86.11m despite holding the world lead earlier in the season.
Julius Yego, Kenya's 2015 world champion, was forced to withdraw after injuring his ankle on the third attempt.
