Neeraj Chopra, the reigning champion, is ready to start his World Athletics Championships campaign, with the qualifying round scheduled to be held later in the day. The event also marks the first meeting between him and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who defeated the Indian to secure an Olympic gold at Paris last year.
The duel between Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem, however, will not happen on Wednesday because the two competitors have been clubbed in two different groups for the qualifying round. They, however, are anticipated to face off in the last round, which is scheduled for Thursday.
One noteworthy topic of discussion in the lead-up to the high-profile duel is whether Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem shake hands. This is mainly due to recent turn of events in the much-debated India-Pakistan encounter at Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Sunday.
India crushed the Men In Green by seven wickets in a one-sided affair but the highlight was the gesture by Suryakumar Yadav and his troop, which didn't engage in any customary handshakes with the opposition.
And now questions about whether the Neeraj will follow suit are rife on social media. Despite their long-standing rivalry on the pitch, the stories of Neeraj and Arshad's bond were once hailed as a unique and touching illustration of sportsmanship amongst athletes from two historically antagonistic countries. So, it is still unclear how the two will interact.
Neeraj also had faced plenty of backlash for inviting Arshad to the inaugural edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic, held in July at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The 27-year-old, who is India's most decorated athlete, had then issued a lengthy statement on social media condemning the "hate and abuse" directed towards him and his family.
Later speaking at a press conference ahead of the Diamond League event in Doha, the Indian javelin star and two-time Olympic medallist opened up about how the Pahalgam attack and the subsequent India-Pakistan conflict affected his off-field equation with Arshad. “Firstly I want to clarify that we never had a very strong relationship. But if somebody talks to me respectfully, I always like to talk to them the same way. But things won’t be the same after this,” said Neeraj.
Arshad, on the other hand, was asked about his competition with Neeraj at the World Championships, where the reigning Olympic champion downplayed the hype. Speaking to reporters after completing his final training session at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore, Arshad noted: “My competition is always against Arshad Nadeem, I have my competitions against myself. I am in good shape and well prepared for the contest in Tokyo. Most of the other main rivals in Tokyo [javelin throw event] are same who were at the Paris Olympics, so it will be good contest.”
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