Paris, France, August 5, 2024: All of Pakistan will be urging on Arshad Nadeem when he meets arch-rival Neeraj Chopra of India, the defending Olympic gold medallist in the men’s javelin throw event which gets underway on Tuesday, August 6 at the Stade de France.
“We are all behind you, Arshad Nadeem” was the message posted on his Instagram page as a nation awaits the rivalry – traditionally limited to cricket between the two countries – which has now reached Olympian heights.
India’s golden boy Chopra and Nadeem will initially meet in the qualification round comprising a field of 32. If they both finish in the top 12, then they will compete against each other again in the javelin throw finals.
Chopra threw 87.58 metres in Tokyo 2020 to secure a first gold medal in track and field for India at the Olympics. Nadeem finished fifth on that occasion with a best throw of 84.62 metres.
But since then, the Pakistani ace has come a long way. At the Commonwealth Games in 2022 he threw a personal best of 90.18 metres to set a Games record and win the gold medal.
Chopra, meanwhile, has a personal best of 89.94m, set in 2022 at the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden.
