ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s star athlete Arshad Nadeem on Wednesday urged fans to pray for his success at the final round of the men’s javelin throw competition at the Paris Olympics 2024, as he gears up to win the first Olympic medal for the South Asian country in decades.
Nadeem qualified for the final round of the competition on Tuesday with an 86.59-meter throw in the qualifying round. Athletes had to throw the light spear at a minimum distance of 84 meters to make it to the final round scheduled to be held on Thursday.
“I have qualified for the final of the Paris Olympics 2024 as a result of your prayers,” Nadeem said in a video message uploaded on his Instagram account.
“Please keep praying for me, the final is on August 8 at 11:25pm. So please keep praying for me so I perform well and win a medal for Pakistan.”
Nadeem, a nine-time international medalist and four-time gold medalist who came fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is Pakistan’s best shot at a medal in the ongoing competition. The Pakistani star athlete won silver at the World Championships last year and gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 with a massive 90.18m distance throw.
The last time Pakistan won a medal at the Olympics was in 1992 in Barcelona when it secured bronze in field hockey.
India’s Neeraj Chopra secured the top spot from Group B in the qualifying round, throwing the javelin a distance of 89.34 meters. He was followed by Grenadian athlete Anderson Peters, who scored a throw of 88.63 meters.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Julian Weber topped Group A with a throw of 87.76 meters, followed by Kenya’s Julius Yego from the same group who threw the javelin at a distance of 85.97 meters. Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch recorded an impressive throw at 85.63 meters while Finland’s Toni Keranin threw the light spear at 85.27 meters.
Nadeem, who comes from humble beginnings from Khanewal city in Pakistan, is one of nine children of a daily wage laborer who showed great versatility as an athlete from a young age while dabbling in all kinds of sports at school.
Though the family lacked the financial means to encourage Nadeem’s enthusiasm for sports, his spirit earned him the support he needed, with his elder brothers working to help him build a career in sports, the family told Arab News in an interview in 2021.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem seeks fans’ prayers ahead of Olympic javelin final
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Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem seeks fans’ prayers ahead of Olympic javelin final
- Nadeem qualified for Olympic javelin throw final with an 86.59-meter throw
- Athlete to compete in final round of javelin throw competition on Thursday
Pakistan announces oil, gas discovery in northwest as it seeks to cut energy imports
- Exploratory well in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flows 4,100 barrels of oil, 10.5 MMSCFD of gas
- The find adds to recent discoveries as Pakistan pushes to boost domestic energy output
KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday announced the discovery of oil and gas in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, saying the find could help reduce the country’s energy supply gap by adding to domestic production.
The discovery was made in the Datta Formation at an exploratory well drilled by the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in Kohat district. The Datta Formation is a rock layer known to hold oil and gas in parts of northern Pakistan and has been a key focus of exploration activity.
Pakistan faces a widening energy gap due to rising demand and limited domestic output, forcing it to rely heavily on costly fuel imports that leave the economy exposed to global price swings.
“During case-hole Drill Stem Test (DST-02) in Datta Formation (Jurassic age), the well flowed at the rate of 4,100 barrels of oil per day (BOPD) and 10.5 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas,” OGDCL Company Secretary Wasim Ahmad said in a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
A drill stem test is carried out to assess how much oil and gas a well can produce after drilling, helping companies evaluate whether a discovery is commercially viable.
OGDCL said the well was drilled to a depth of 5,170 meters and encountered oil- and gas-bearing zones at multiple levels. Earlier testing in a deeper geological layer had also resulted in a discovery, strengthening the overall prospects of the well.
“This oil and gas discovery will contribute toward mitigating the energy supply-demand gap through indigenous resources and will add to the hydrocarbon reserves base of OGDCL, its joint partners and the country,” the letter added.
Pakistan has reported several oil and gas finds in recent months as it steps up efforts to boost domestic output.
In September, Pakistan Petroleum Limited announced a discovery in Attock district of Punjab, while Mari Energies reported a new gas find in North Waziristan earlier this year.
