Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem are gearing up for the finals of the World Athletics Championships as the two produced dominant outings in the qualification rounds in Budapest, Hungary. The Indian ace Javelin thrower is in a hunt for a Gold medal after clinching the Silver last year at the Worlds. Meanwhile, the Pakistani star finished fifth and is looking to give Chopra a tough fight.
The two stars have faced off each other nine times and Chopra has always had the better of Nadeem. The two share a decent rapport with each other. Meanwhile, after the two qualified for the finals, Nadeem wished Neeraj as he shared a special message for him. "Neeraj ke liye best of luck. Neeraj bhai, aap bhi aachha karen, hum bhi accha karen. Aapka naam hai world me, hamara bhi naam aye (Best of luck to Neeraj. Neeraj brother, you also do well, and I hope I also do well. You have a name in the world. I hope I also get a name in the world)," Nadeem said.
Both the athletes finished on top of their groups in the Friday qualification and not only booked their place for the finals but also confirmed their tickets for the Paris Olympics. Chopra threw the spear to his season-best throw of 88.77m in his maiden attempt. On the other hand, Nadeem sent the Javelin to his own season best of 86.79m on Friday.
Chopra and Nadeem had a few injury concerns in recent times. Chopra made a return from a muscle strain at the Diamond League Javelin event in Lausanne in late June. He claimed that he was not sure whether he was 100% fit for the Lausanne. Meanwhile, Nadeem is also back after elbow and knee surgeries last year after the Islamic World Games. He took part in the Pakistan National Games but suffered a knee injury and missed the Asian Championships last month.
