After numerous near-duels and cancellations, two of the world’s best javelin throwers, Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra, will finally go head‑to‑head at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo later this month.
The two javelin giants were expected to clash earlier this year at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland, but Nadeem was forced to withdraw in July after undergoing surgery on his right calf in England. His absence delayed what many consider the fiercest rivalry in global athletics.
Now, with his rehabilitation complete, Nadeem’s doctor, Asad Abbas, has confirmed the star is back to full fitness.
“Arshad has fully recovered, and I have monitored his rehab and progress. I am sure he will be right up there to compete with Neeraj and all others who will be lined up for the javelin event,” Abbas told Telecom Asia.
The World Championships will take place from September 13 to 21 at Tokyo’s Japan National Stadium—the same venue where Neeraj clinched Olympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The men’s javelin qualification is scheduled for September 17, with the final a day later.
Tokyo will be the first meeting between Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra since the Paris 2024 Olympics. That contest produced unforgettable drama, as Nadeem launched a record‑breaking 92.97 m to claim Pakistan’s first‑ever Olympic athletics gold, leaving Chopra to settle for silver.
Since then, Nadeem has competed only once—winning gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May with a throw of 86.40 m. Chopra, meanwhile, has kept busy on the circuit and will look to defend his world title in Tokyo.
The men’s javelin promises to be one of the highlights of the championships, with in‑form German Julian Weber, two‑time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, and former Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago also in the fray.
For Nadeem, the mission is clear: upgrade his silver from Budapest 2023 to gold in Tokyo and reclaim the spotlight from his Indian rival. For fans on both sides of the border, the stage is set for another historic duel.