- By Gurmeet Batra
- Sat, 06 Sep 2025 06:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
World Athletics Championships: The stage is set for a thrilling showdown between India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later this month.
Nadeem had defeated Chopra for gold at the Paris Games in August 2024 with a monster throw of 92.97m, an Olympic record. After a year-long hiatus from contesting against each other, the Olympic and world champions will face off in a anticipated showdown at the World Athletics Championships.
The 27-year-old Neeraj is a wild card entry in the men's javelin event by advantage of being the defending champion. He has also thrown past the 85.50m direct qualifying mark many times during the qualifying period.
Nadeem, 28, breached the qualifying mark with his throw of 86.40m while winning gold in the Asian Championships in South Korea in May. Incidentally, that's the lone event he has competed after the Paris Olympics final.
The men's javelin qualifying round of the world championships will be held on September 17 and the final the next day.
The rivals were to have a showdown at the Diamond League Meeting in Silesia, Poland, on August 16 but both pulled out of the event after the organisers initially confirmed their participation.
In fact, Nadeem did not compete in any four of this year's DL meetings which had men's javelin in the roster while Chopra competed in two and also finished second in the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on August 28.
Three other Indians -- Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav -- are also featuring in the event in Tokyo, as India will have the most number of men's javelin throwers among competing countries.
With the expected return of Nadeem, the men's javelin event in Tokyo will have the best of the lot in the business in action. Diamond League Trophy winner Julian Weber of Germany will enter the event as favourite after three 90m-plus throws this year. He is also the world leader this season with his 91.51m while winning the DL Trophy in Zurich.
Chopra's 90.23m throw, his first 90m-plus effort in his career, while finishing second in the Doha DL in May, is in third in the season's top list.
ALSO READ: Shreyas Iyer To Lead India A Against Australia A In Multi-Day Matches After Asia Cup Snub
The likes of two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, Julius Yego of Kenya, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago will also be in action.
Brazilian Luiz Mauricio Da Silva, who had the second-longest throw of 91m last month, will also be a podium contender.
In the last edition in 2023 also, four Indians had qualified but Rohit was forced to pull out due to an injury. Chopra had won gold with a throw of 88.17m while Kishore Jena and DP Manu had finished fifth and sixth as three Indians had reached men's javelin finals in a historic achievement.
(With PTI Inputs)
