The much-anticipated Neeraj Chopra–Arshad Nadeem clash will not take place on Wednesday during the qualification round of the men’s javelin at the World Championships, as the two rivals have been placed in separate groups. The eagerly anticipated clash between the Olympic and World medallists is now set to unfold only if both progress to Thursday’s final.

Chopra, the reigning world champion, begins his title defence in Group A alongside Germany’s Diamond League winner Julian Weber, 2012 Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott, Czech veteran Jakub Vadlejch and fellow Indian Sachin Yadav. Group B features Pakistan’s Nadeem, Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 2015 world champion Julius Yego, Brazil’s Luiz da Silva, and Chopra’s compatriots Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh. The automatic qualifying mark is 84.50m, with the top 12 advancing.

Javelin Qualification

Group A: Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Yadav, Julian Weber, Jakub Vadlejch, Sumeda Ranasinghe, and others
Group B: Arshad Nadeem, Rumesh Pathirage, Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and others

For Chopra, history beckons. The 27-year-old is aiming to become only the third man to defend a world javelin title, joining the likes of Jan elezn (1993, 1995) and Grenada’s Anderson Peters (2019, 2022). He claimed gold in Budapest last year with a throw of 88.17m, edging out Arshad Nadeem (87.82m) and Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m).

The competition promises to be among the strongest in recent memory. Alongside Chopra and Nadeem, the field features Julian Weber, who has been the most consistent this season with three throws exceeding 90 metres, as well as seasoned campaigners such as Walcott, Peters and Julius Yego.

India will also mark a milestone, fielding four athletes in the event for the first time – Chopra, Rohit, Yashvir and Sachin – the largest representation from any nation. Chopra secured his spot as the defending champion, while the other three qualified via world rankings.

Chopra’s season has been a mix of highs and lows. He breached the 90m mark in Doha with 90.23m but has struggled for consistency, with several throws falling short of 85m, though he also recorded 88.16m as his second-best effort of the year.

All eyes, however, will be on a potential blockbuster final, where Chopra and Nadeem could once again go head-to-head in a repeat of last year’s Budapest showdown.

– Ends