TOKYO, Sept. 18 — India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem will renew their fierce rivalry on Thursday in the men’s javelin final at the World Athletics Championships, in what promises to be one of the most anticipated contests of the tournament.
Chopra, who cleared the automatic qualification mark with a single throw of 84.85 meters on Wednesday, will attempt to defend the world title he claimed in Budapest in 2023. The Olympic silver medalist from Paris 2024 has now qualified for five consecutive global finals with just one throw — a streak that began at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Nadeem, the reigning Olympic champion, kept fans on edge by qualifying with his last attempt. The Pakistani star dethroned Chopra in Paris last year with a massive 92.97-meter effort, while the Indian settled for silver with 89.45 meters. Their back-and-forth battles have elevated the South Asian rivalry to the world stage.
Germany’s Julian Weber also qualified comfortably, posting 87.21 meters on his second attempt. India’s Sachin Yadav made the cut after a tense wait, joining a 12-man final field that also includes former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Kenya’s veteran Julius Yego.
Chopra, 27, became India’s first-ever world champion in athletics in 2023 with an 88.17-meter throw. That year, Nadeem finished just behind him with 87.82 meters. With both men in peak form, Thursday’s duel is being billed as the latest — and perhaps fiercest — chapter in a rivalry that has come to define javelin on the global circuit. (Source: IANS)
