By News18,Ritayan Basu

Copyright news18

Indian javelin sensation Neeraj Chopra will commence his World Championship title defence in the qualification round on Wednesday. He will compete against a formidable field that includes Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem and Germany’s Diamond League champion Julian Weber.
Chopra aims to become the third male javelin thrower in history to defend his World Championship gold, which he won in the 2023 edition in Budapest. Czech legend Jan Zelezny (1993, 1995), now Chopra’s coach, and Grenada’s Anderson Peters (2019, 2022) are the other two athletes who have achieved this feat.
Neeraj Chopra Vs Arshad Nadeem
Chopra will meet Nadeem for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Nadeem clinched gold with a throw of 92.97m, while Chopra secured silver with a best of 89.45m. However, Chopra and Nadeem will not clash on Wednesday, as they are in different groups for the qualifying round. Their showdown is anticipated in the final round on Thursday.
The star-studded field also includes Weber, Peters, Kenya’s 2015 world champion Julius Yego, Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, Czech veteran Jakub Vadlejch, and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva, another 90m thrower.
Which Other Indians Are In The Fray?
This event is historic for India, with Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and Rohit Yadav joining Chopra, marking the largest contingent from any country in the competition. Chopra has received a wild card as the defending champion, while the others qualified through world rankings.
Chopra is grouped with Weber, Walcott, Vadlejch, and Sachin in the 19-man Group A qualification round, while the 18-strong Group B includes Nadeem, Peters, Yego, Da Silva, Rohit, Yashvir, and rising Sri Lankan star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, among others. Athletes who reach the automatic qualifying mark of 84.50m or the best 12 will advance to the final round on Thursday.
In the previous edition in Budapest, Chopra won gold with a throw of 88.17m, with Nadeem (87.82m) and Vadlejch (86.67m) taking silver and bronze, respectively.
Can Neeraj Win Gold?
It will be challenging for the 27-year-old Chopra to secure gold in Tokyo, the same venue where he made history by winning Olympic gold in 2021. Although Chopra surpassed the coveted 90m mark with a 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League in May, he has had some inconsistent performances this year, failing to breach 85m in two competitions and achieving over 85m on two occasions, with his second-best throw being 88.16m.
Weber, on the other hand, enters as the favourite due to his consistent performances this season. The 31-year-old German has achieved 90m-plus throws three times this year and leads with a world-best throw of 91.51m. His confidence is high after winning the Diamond League trophy last month. In head-to-head competition this season, Chopra trails Weber 1-3, with their last encounter at the Diamond League Final, where Chopra managed only 85.01m for a second-place finish.
Nadeem, 28, has participated in just one event this season, winning gold with a throw of 86.40m at the Asian Championships in South Korea in May, which secured his place in the World Championships. He then underwent calf muscle surgery in July. Despite limited competitive outings, Nadeem is capable of producing a winning throw, as demonstrated in the Paris Olympics last year.
Men’s javelin is a highly anticipated event for Indian athletics fans, especially after the impressive performance in the last edition. In 2023 in Budapest, three Indians, including Chopra, reached the final round. Besides Chopra’s gold, Kishore Jena and DP Manu finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
(With inputs from PTI)