Athletics: Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem discloses where he and Neeraj Chopra could compete next
Neeraj Chopra clinched his second victory of 2025 at the Ostrava Golden Spike event with an 85.29-meter throw, following his Paris Diamond League title. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, focusing on World Athletics Championships training, secured gold at the Asian Athletics Championship with an 86.40-meter throw. Nadeem also recently inspired young athletes at a World Olympic Day celebration in Lahore.
Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra secured his second victory of 2025 at the Ostrava Golden Spike event with a throw of 85.29 meters in the javelin competition. The event, organised by Chopra's personal coach and current world record holder Jan Zelezny, featured notable competitors including Rio Olympics gold medalist Thomas Rohler.This victory follows Chopra's recent win at the Paris Diamond League title last week. Earlier this season, he finished second to Germany's Julian Weber at both the Doha Diamond League meet and the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial event.Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, the reigning Olympic champion, was absent from these four events. Nadeem has been selective in his competition schedule this season, focusing on training in Pakistan. He did participate in the Asian Athletics Championship last month, which Chopra had opted to skip, where he secured a gold medal with an 86.40-meter throw."My focus is on the World Athletics Championships and I am working hard for that," Arshad said. "It is very hot in Lahore. I am going to England soon and will be training there for a month."The World Athletics Championships are scheduled to take place in Tokyo from September 13-21, where both athletes are expected to compete.Nadeem made history at the Paris Olympics last year by breaking the Olympic javelin record with a throw of 92.97 metres. This achievement prevented Chopra from defending his gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics, which were affected by the pandemic.Recently, Nadeem served as the chief guest at a World Olympic Day celebration in Lahore. During the event, he shared his thoughts on the achievement and offered encouragement to aspiring athletes."It is a matter of pride for athletes to celebrate this day and I am proud that I am celebrating it as an Olympic gold medallist for the first time," Arshad said.He also provided inspiration to young athletes, emphasising the importance of determination and hard work. "My message to the youngsters is to stay focused. I came from a small place and won a gold medal. So, if they work hard, they too can win medals."
Published: June 26, 2025, 7:28 a.m.
Source: "Times of India"
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