Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, after winning a gold medal at the ongoing South Asian Games 2019 in Kathmandu, Nepal, has qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the first Pakistani track and field athlete to directly qualify for the Games.

According to reports, Nadeem’s position at the Olympics was confirmed when he scored a throw of 86.48 metres, making a new event record distance. The qualification standard of the Olympics is set at 85 metres.

Meanwhile, India’s Shivpal Singh who threw a distance of 84.43 metres, took the second position.

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“It is a great honour to qualify for the Olympics, for me and also for Pakistan. God has been very kind,” said 22-year-old Nadeem in a video message.

According to The News, the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) is also planning to send Nadeem abroad to China for training and are also looking into hiring a professional coach for him.

The Athletics Federation of India congratulated Arshad for winning and qualifying for the Olympics.

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and commonly known as Tokyo 2020, are scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.