Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem to face off in Silesia Diamond League in Poland on August 16
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will be up against reigning champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan in a much-anticipated clash in Diamond League in Silesia, Poland on August 16, in their first face-off after Paris Games showdown in 2024.
Chopra and Nadeem will be facing each other one year after the mouth-watering men’s javelin competition in Paris when the Pakistani had beaten the Indian for the gold with a stunning 92.97m throw.
The 27-year-old Chopra, who had won gold in Tokyo Olympics in 2021, had to settle for a silver in Paris with a best throw of 89.45m.
A World Athletics statement said that Chopra and Nadeem will be competing in the men’s javelin event in Silesia DL.
“Neeraj Chopra will face Arshad Nadeem. The Indian-Pakistani battle awaiting the Polish fans will be the first opportunity for revenge after the Paris Olympics,” the organisers said while announcing the participants of the prestigious DL event.
“The Pakistani’s form remains something of a mystery, as he rarely appears on the European circuit. The exception he will make on August 16th results from his desire to face Chopra.
“The latter became the 26th thrower in history to surpass 90 metres this spring. And he is certainly yearning for more,” the organisers said, referring to Chopra achieving the coveted feat of crossing the 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m in the Doha Diamond League in May.
Since the Paris Games, Chopra has participated in several competitions, including four Diamond League meetings, two other top-class events in Chorzow, Poland and Ostrava, Czech Republic, as well as the inaugural NC Classic in Bengaluru which he won as host.
He crossed the coveted 90m mark in Doha in his first DL competition of the year on May 16, though he finished second to Julian Weber of Germany. He finished second at Janusz Kusocinski Memorial event in Chorzow on May 23 with a modest 84.14m, before winning his first DL title of the season in Paris on June 20 with 88.16m.
Chopra, who is currently being coached by the legendary javelin thrower Jan Zelezny, then won Ostrava Golden Spike competition with a throw of 85.29m on June 25 before clinching title at NC Classic with 86.18m as host and competitor.
The 28-year-old Nadeem, on the other hand, ended his 2024 season with the Paris Olympics gold and has taken part in just one competition so far this year. He won gold in the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on May 31 with a throw of 86.40m.