Pakistan’s celebrated javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has once again proven his class by qualifying for the final round of the Men’s Javelin Throw at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo.
On Wednesday, Nadeem secured his place with a remarkable 85.28m throw in his third and decisive attempt after earlier efforts of 76.99m and 74.17m. His clutch performance ensured he advanced to Thursday’s medal round, where he will compete against the world’s elite.
Joining him from Group B are Anderson Peters, who cleared 85.96m, and Julius Yego with an impressive 89.53m. Curtis Thompson also advanced after improving from a 77.97m opener to an 84.72m throw.
In Group A, India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra needed just one attempt to qualify, clearing the 84.50m automatic mark with a throw of 84.85m. Later, Chopra, ranked world No. 2, produced an even stronger 86.56m effort, underlining his dominance.
He heads into the final as a leading contender, especially after his record-breaking 92.97m throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which secured him gold. His personal best of 90.23m, set earlier this year, also remains the Indian national record.
Other key finalists include Germany’s Julian Weber, the world’s current No. 1, who bounced back from a weak start to register 87.21m, and Poland’s Dawid Wegner, who threw a personal best of 85.67m. India’s Sachin Yadav narrowly missed automatic qualification with 83.67m but remains in contention based on overall rankings.
The Tokyo final will feature 12 athletes out of 37 competitors, with direct qualifiers and the best remaining throws filling the slots. The contest holds added significance as it renews the celebrated rivalry between Nadeem and Chopra, who exchanged gold and silver at recent global events — Chopra triumphing at Budapest 2023 and Nadeem claiming Olympic glory in Paris 2024.
