After their epic showdown in the Paris Olympic javelin final at Stade de France last year, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will face Arshad Nadeem for the first time in a year at the Silesia Diamond League on August 16 in Poland.
In their previous meeting, Nadeem clinched the gold medal with a monstrous throw of 92.97m, setting a new Olympic record at Paris 2024 Games, while Neeraj secured the silver with a throw of 89.45m, his second Olympic medal.
The clash between the current world champion and Olympic champion promises to be a major highlight at the meeting. Organisers believe it’s a great chance for Neeraj to take revenge for the loss at the Paris Olympics. “Neeraj will face Arshad,” said the organisers. “The Indian-Pakistani battle awaiting the Polish fans will be the first opportunity for revenge after the Paris Olympics.”
Nadeem, who usually competes in only a few events each year, will make his Diamond League debut in the 2025 season. Speaking about his participation, the organisers said, “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 90m club welcomed a new member this May when Neeraj hurled the javelin 90.23m in Doha, and the meeting organisers referenced that: “The latter became the 26th thrower in history to surpass 90 metres this spring. And he is certainly yearning for more.”
Neeraj is in red-hot form this season. He kicked off his 2025 season with a solid performance, winning the Potch Invitational Track Event in Potchefstroom, South Africa. He opened his Diamond League season at Doha where he broke the elusive 90m barrier with a throw of 90.23m, finishing second. A week later, he competed at the Janusz Kusociński Memorial in Poland. Battling cold and wet conditions, he managed a best throw of 84.14m and secured second place.
In his next outing at the Paris Diamond League, Neeraj claimed his first major victory of the season with an impressive throw of 88.16m. He followed that up with a win at the Ostrava Golden Spike and returned to India to clinch the inaugural NC Classic – a Gold category event named after him, to make it three consecutive titles.
Meanwhile, Nadeem began his 2025 season at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where he won gold with a throw of 86.34m. The Silesia Diamond League will be only his second appearance of the year.
The upcoming clash at Silesia will be a crucial test for both the Indian and Pakistani throwers ahead of their anticipated showdown at the World Championship in Tokyo.