Daijiworld Media Network – Tokyo

Tokyo, Sep 6: A high-voltage clash awaits athletics fans as India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem gear up to face each other at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo later this month.

The men’s javelin qualification round is scheduled for September 17, with the final on September 18 at the Japan National Stadium — the same venue where Neeraj clinched Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.

Nadeem, who created history at Paris 2024 by setting a new Olympic record of 92.97m to win gold, has returned from a calf surgery and is eyeing the world title. This will be his first head-to-head contest with Neeraj since Paris. Their much-anticipated duel at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland did not materialize after Nadeem pulled out due to injury.

Since his Paris triumph, the Pakistani thrower has competed only once, winning gold with an 86.40m throw at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May. He will be hoping to improve upon his silver medal finish behind Neeraj in Budapest two years ago.

Neeraj, who will defend his world title in Tokyo, is expected to face tough competition not only from Nadeem but also from in-form German Julian Weber, who recently won the Diamond League, two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, and former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Chopra-Nadeem rivalry, one of the most celebrated in athletics today, promises to be the highlight of the championships.