New Delhi: Ahead of the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2023, the fans will get to witness an Indo-Pak rivalry at the ongoing World Athletics Championship when Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem face off in the men’s javelin final on Sunday in Budapest.
Olympic champion, Neeraj, maintained his reputation with a 88.77m throw in his first attempt in the qualifying round, thus making his place in the 12-man final on Sunday. With that throw, Neeraj also qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics spot.
On the other hand, Pakistan javelin ace and a 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Nadeem, secured his spot in the final with a 86.79m throw. Like Neeraj, Nadeem also booked his Paris Olympics spot.
Ahead of the mega final, Nadeem insisted that he has no rivalry with Neeraj and said there is always scope for learning from top athletes like the Indian. “I don’t compete against anyone. I try to always compete with myself and to do better and better.
“There is no rivalry with Neeraj,” Nadeem told reporters. “You can always learn from top athletes.” Nadeem, who returned to competition after nearly one year after overcoming an elbow injury, said he had high regards for his Indian counterpart.
#India’s Golden Champ Mr Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Paris Olympics 2024 and World Athletics Championship 2023 FINAL with a throw of 88.77m in his first attempt
Congrats #NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/lXdAoDJC0s
— Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) August 25, 2023
“I wish him the best that he does well and my job is to get better and better for my country,” he said. After Neeraj pulled out of last year’s CWG in Birmingham because of a groin injury, Nadeem went on to win Pakistan’s first medal in any track and field event in 56 years.
Nadeem won the gold medal with a Herculean throw of 90.18m and Neeraj was the first to congratulate him on his monster achievement.
Meanwhile, with no defending champion, Anderson Peters, in the final, the job will be a bit easier for Neeraj. The Haryana lad’s only fight will be against the likes of Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic and Julian Weber of Germany, against whom Neeraj had gruelling duels in the last two years after Tokyo Olympics as top contenders for the gold on Sunday.
Neeraj has won gold medals in the Olympics (Tokyo in 2021), Asian Games (2018) and Commonwealth Games (2018), besides becoming the Diamond League champion last year. A World Championships gold is the only yellow metal missing his cabinet.
From UK’s Loughborough University last year to Potchefstroom, South Africa, and Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkey, this year, India have given the best possible resources to Neeraj Chopra.
Arshad Nadeem got nowhere near the same backing, which makes him so special. pic.twitter.com/OVp6S8vCxw
— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) August 25, 2023
It is no secret that the Olympic champion prefers to throw big in his first attempt and having done that, he packed up and left the competition arena without making any further attempt to preserve strength for the all-important final on Sunday.
Neeraj did the same in the last edition qualification round in the USA with a 88.39m — though he finished second behind eventual champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who threw 89.91m. The same happened in Tokyo Olympics also, where he won a historic gold.
The 32-year-old Vadlejch, who had won silver and bronze in the Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships, could only produce a best of 83.50m on Friday. He also admitted that his throws were not ‘technically ideal’.
Weber, who was a notch up to Chopra at second in the season’s top list ahead of the showpiece, hinted that he had a ‘bad technique session’ on Friday as he could only produce a best of 82.39m. Not only Neeraj but DP Manu (81.31m) and Kishore Jena (80.55m) also made the cut as three Indians qualified for the final of an event in the World Championships for the first time ever.
With PTI Inputs
