Who is Arshad Nadeem? All you need to know about Pakistan's javelin thrower competing against Neeraj Chopra

Arshad Nadeem is one of the finest Pakistani javelin throwers who has made significant strides in the world of athletics. He's the first Pakistani to make it to the final of any track and field event at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships.

Nadeem began his javelin-throwing career in 2015. Initially, he was more interested in cricket, but during an athletics competition, he caught the attention of Rasheed Ahmad Saqi. In 2016, World Athletics awarded him a scholarship, which allowed him to train at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Mauritius.

The 27-year-old participated in different Asian and regional events and won several medals for Pakistan. In 2019, at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal, Nadeem won a gold medal with a throw of 86.29m. At the 33rd National Games in Peshawar, he also secured a gold medal for WAPDA.

In 2021, Nadeem made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics and reached the final of the men's javelin throw event. Following this, he competed in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, finishing 5th. He then went on to secure a gold medal for Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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Arshad Nadeem vs Neeraj Chopra over the years

Arshad Nademm and Neeraj Chopra's rivalry started at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While it was Chopra who reigned supreme and won the gold with an impressive throw of 87.58m, Nadeem threw a best of 84.62m to finish fifth.

Both Nadeem and Chopra fouled in their final attempts but it was their scores in the earlier rounds that guaranteed them impressive finishes. Earlier in the qualification round, Nadeem had thrown 85.16m.

In 2023, Arshad Nadeem made history by winning Pakistan's first World Athletics Championship medal, securing a silver. He also secured his qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics during the event and is looking to compete against Neeraj Chopra again.

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