Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra to clash at World Athletics Championships on Sept 18

TOKYO: Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is set to go head-to-head with India’s Neeraj Chopra at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next week — their first face-off since the Paris Olympics amid renewed tensions between their countries.

Nadeem, returning to competition after calf surgery in July, rose from a farming village to become an overnight sensation when he claimed Pakistan’s first Olympic gold in 40 years with a Games-record throw of 92.97m.

He has competed only once since Paris, winning the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea in May where Chopra did not participate.

Chopra, who captured India’s first Olympic javelin gold in Tokyo, remains in fine form after joining Czech javelin great Jan Železný’s coaching group for the 2025 season.

Read more: Arshad Nadeem declared unfit for Diamond League

He threw beyond 90m for the first time at the Doha Diamond League in May (90.23m) and finished second to Germany’s Julian Weber.

At the Zurich Diamond League last month, Weber again took top spot with 91.51m while Chopra managed 85.01m.

Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada is also among the contenders. The World Championships open on Saturday, with the men’s javelin final scheduled for September 18.