 "India's Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem had stood on the podium together at the end of the men's javelin throw final in the Paris Olympics last year. PTI")
Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra will be facing Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem for the first time since the Paris Olympics last year at the Diamond League meet in Poland next month. The Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial will be taking place at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow, Poland, and will host an Indo-Pak showdown in men’s javelin throw on 16 August, immediately after the two nations celebrate their Independence Day.
This will be the first meeting between the two since Nadeem beat Chopra to Olympic gold in the French capital last year with a 92.97m throw that also broke the Games record. Chopra had made history at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 by becoming the first Indian to win a Olympic gold in athletics, and was eyeing back-to-back victories when the Pakistani dashed his hopes with one monster throw, with Chopra winning silver with a best effort of 89.45m.
The two were originally scheduled to face off at the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic , which took place at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium earlier this month. The invitation to Nadeem, however, was withdrawn after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in April that was followed by a military conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations.
‘First opportunity for revenge after the Paris Olympics’
What makes the upcoming showdown even spicier is the fact that it will be the first meeting between Chopra and Nadeem since the former breached the 90-metre mark for the first time in his career .
“Neeraj Chopra will face Arshad Nadeem. The Indian-Pakistani battle awaiting the Polish fans will be the first opportunity for revenge after the Paris Olympics,” read a statement from the organisers announcing the participants at next month’s event.
“The Pakistani’s form remains something of a mystery, as he rarely appears on the European circuit. The exception he will make on August 16th results from his desire to face Chopra.
“The latter became the 26th thrower in history to surpass 90 metres this spring. And he is certainly yearning for more,” it added, referring to Chopra breaching the 90-metre barrier for the first time in his career during the Doha meet earlier in the 2025 Diamond League.
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View AllThe latest Diamond League event took place in Monaco, where Animesh Kujur became the first Indian sprinter to compete in the prestigious competition , finishing a creditable fourth in U-23 200m. The DL caravan then moves to London next week before resuming action in Poland next month.