In his first attempt, Arshad threw the javelin at a distance of 79.40 metres, followed by 88.55m, 75.50m, 82.40m, and 83.33m. Following his remarkable performance, Arshad was greeted by fans and officials of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), and Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP).
At least 4,000 athletes from 56 Muslim countries are competing across 24 different competitions at the games. Arshad had bagged a bronze medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games 2017 in Baku separately. Arshad had become the first South Asian to cross 90 metres and the first Pakistani to win an athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He had broken his own record while also winning a gold medal in the process.