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Defending champion Arshad Nadeem progressed to the men's javelin throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, despite falling short of the automatic qualification mark in difficult weather conditions on Thursday. A strong headwind made scoring big distances difficult throughout the qualification round, with none of the 18 competitors reaching the required 84-metre automatic qualifying standard. Pakistan's Olympic and Commonwealth champion made the perfect start with an opening throw of 78.63m, which ultimately proved enough to secure his place in Friday's final. The 29-year-old then recorded a foul with his second attempt before finishing with 75.65m on his third throw. Although unable to improve on his opening effort, Arshad comfortably advanced as one of the top 12 qualifiers after no athlete achieved the automatic mark. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage led the qualification standings with a best throw of 82.84m, ahead of Grenada's reigning world champion Anderson Peters, who managed 81.29m. South Africa's Douw Smit (80.64m) and England's Benjamin East (80.38m) were the only other athletes to clear the 80-metre mark. India's Neeraj Chopra, Arshad's long-time rival, also progressed after improving from an opening throw of 76.28m to 79.61m with his second attempt. India will have three athletes in the final after Rohit Yadav qualified with 78.37m, while Yashveer Singh secured his place with a best effort of 78.36m. Pakistan's Muhammad Yasir Sultan failed to qualify for the medal event. After fouling his opening attempt, Yasir threw 71.42m in the second round before improving to 74.36m with his final effort, leaving him outside the top 12 qualifiers. The men's javelin throw final will take place on Friday, 31 July, with the event scheduled to begin at 7:45pm Pakistan Standard Time. Pakistan first competed at the Commonwealth Games in 1954 and has won 82 medals overall, including 27 gold, 27 silver and 28 bronze. The country's most successful campaign in 50 years came at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where an eight-medal haul saw Pakistan finish 18th in the medal table. Arshad was the standout performer in Birmingham, producing a Games record throw of 90.18m to win gold and become Pakistan's first athletics champion at the Commonwealth Games since 1962. The defending champion will now attempt to retain his title when the final takes place on Friday.