Pakistan’s emerging javelin thrower Yasir Sultan won a bronze medal at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea.
Although the 27-year-old bagged a bronze medal at the championship, he was unable to achieve his main goal, which was to qualify for the World Athletic Championships 2025, scheduled to take place next month in Tokyo.
Yasir’s best attempt that got him a podium finish at Mokpo Stadium on Friday was 77.43 metres.
He needed to touch the 85.50m mark to book a spot in Tokyo.
This is his second podium finish; the last one was in the 2023 Asian Championship, where he posted 79.93 m to take the bronze. There were 17 throwers vying for the podium finish.
“This was our last chance to qualify for the 2025 World Athletics Championships; the expectation was that Yasir would find a performance to take him to Tokyo, but unfortunately, we couldn’t,” Yasir’s coach and mentor, Fiaz Bokhari, told The Express Tribune from Korea.
But to put things into perspective, none of the javelin throwers in the event touched the 85 m mark in the final.
The gold medal went to Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage with an 82.05 m mark, and the silver belonged to Japan’s Gen Naganuma with 78.60 m throw.
Bokhari added that one of the factors that did not work for the throwers was the weather.
“We trained very hard for this event, but the weather and the heat really played a part in affecting the level of the competition,” said Bokhari.
“I just want to thank the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP), General Akram Sahi, and my coach, Fiaz Bokhari, who helped me compete in this event. I am very grateful for the opportunity. My coach really worked hard with me.
“I just want to say that I would want to win a gold medal next time. But for now, I dedicate this bronze medal to my country,” Yasir sent out a message in a video shared by Bokhari.
‘Pakistan can have two javelin throwers for 2028 Olympics’
Bokahri, who played the foundational role in establishing the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medallist Arshad Nadeem, is on a mission.
So far, the two javelin throwers who are making Pakistan proud in javelin throw are his students.
Even though Yasir has not been able to break past an 80m throw in international events, Bokhari feels it is just a matter of time.
“We have a lot of opportunities coming up. My target is for Yasir to qualify for the Olympics at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November or the Commonwealth Games 2026. We have a window to book our spot at the LA Olympics.
“There can be Arshad Nadeem and Yasir. I also have another thrower who can emerge as a surprise, too, but we can have more javelin throwers.
“Even in the women’s event. I have a very talented student, and she can be a powerhouse for Pakistan in javelin throw, so I am working like I worked with Arshad,” explained Bokhari.
He emphasised the need to treat coaches well and pay them well, and help develop the sport further.
” Around 30-35 years ago, when I used to tell people that I competed in javelin throw, no one in Pakistan used to even know about this sport, and today we have an Olympic gold medal in it.
“I just want to say that the sports authorities in the country should pay coaches well. You cannot have coaches hired for Rs 20,000 to 30,000 a month and expect them to produce world-class talent.
“Coaching the youth and honing their talents requires tireless efforts, it requires dedication, and constant supervision; it is not a side hustle for people, it is a full-time responsibility.
“In my years with Arshad, say from 2015 till 2022, I can say that I have spent more time and put in more effort than my own children.
“Of course, things change and people change too, better opportunities come to athletes who make it big, but I just want to highlight the fact that a lot goes into producing international medal-winning talent, and it is high time that we start respecting everyone who contributes to that process,” concluded Bokhari.