Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra to lock horns next month

KARACHI: Pakistan’s star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra are set to come face to face at the upcoming Diamond League, scheduled to be held in Silesia, Poland on August 16.

The faceoff will be the first between the two Javelin throwers after the Paris Olympics showdown last year, where Nadeem nailed a throw of 92.97 meters to secure the historic gold medal for Pakistan.

Chopra, who was defending his gold, made a throw of 89.45 and bagged the silver medal. Grenada's Anderson Peters fetched the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54m.

Later that month, Nadeem will also participate in the Switzerland Diamond League, slated to be held on August 27 in Zurich, which may mark another meeting with Chopra.

The development came just days after Arshad Nadeem opted out of the upcoming World Athletics Silver Tour event scheduled for July 15 in Switzerland.

In a recent media interaction, Nadeem opened up about his decision to skip the event, citing injury concerns.

“I’ve decided to withdraw from the Switzerland event due to a strain in my calf that I experienced during training here,” Nadeem said while speaking to the media in Lahore.

“I don’t want the strain to worsen, so this decision is in the interest of my long-term fitness.”

Nadeem emphasised that his primary focus remained on the World Athletics Championships, scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan in September.

“My entire focus is on the World Championship, which will be held in Tokyo this September,” he stated. “I’m leaving for London on July 14 to resume training in a more suitable environment.

“I believe the quality of training and recovery in England will prepare me well for both the Diamond League and the World Championship.”