Tag: World Athletics Championship

JAPAN: Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem and India’s javelin ace Neeraj Chopra will battle for gold in a potential final clash at the World Athletics Championship after the qualifying groups were announced on Tuesday.

Although both athletes have been placed in separate groups, there is an ample chance of a final showdown if they advance to the final.

This will be the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics that Arshad and Neeraj are expected to compete against each other.

Arshad Nadeem is placed in Group B alongside Grenada’s Anderson Peters, whereas defending champions Neeraj Chopra are in Group A alongside Germany’s Julian Weber.

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The Qualifying round will commence at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday, September 17, with the final taking place on Thursday, September 18.

Arshad Nadeem’s qualifying round is scheduled to begin at 4:45 PM Pakistan Standard Time.

Javelin Throw Schedule 

September 17, Wednesday Men’s javelin throw Qualification – Group A 3:10 PM

September 17, Wednesday Men’s javelin throw Qualification – Group B 4:45 PM

September 18, Thursday Men’s javelin throw  Final  3:13 PM

World Athletics Championships 2025 Men’s Javelin Throw Start List

Qualifiers Group A: Julian Weber (GER), Neeraj Chopra (IND), Keshorn Walcott (TTO), Jakub Vadlejch (CZE), Cyprian Mrzygłód (POL), Lassi Etelätalo (FIN), Edis Matusevičius (LTU), Yuta Sakiyama (JPN), Sachin Yadav (IND), Marc Anthony Minichello (USA), Roderick Genki Dean (JPN), Dawid Wegner (POL), Leandro Ramos (POR), Sumedha Ranasinghe (SRI), Haoran Hu (CHN), Sindri Hrafn Guðmundsson (ISL), Billy Julio López (COL), Keyshawn Strachan (BAH), Pedro Henrique Rodrigues (BRA)

Qualifiers Group B: Arshad Nadeem (PAK), Anderson Peters (GRN), Julius Yego (KEN), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (BRA), Oliver Helander (FIN), Curtis Thompson (USA), Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SRI), Douw Smit (RSA), Artur Felfner (UKR), Simon Wieland (SUI), Marcin Krukowski (POL), Cameron McEntyre (AUS), Eemil Porvari (FIN), Yash Vir Singh (IND), Martin Konečný (CZE), Gen Naganuma (JPN), Rohit Yadav (IND), Lars Anthony Flaming (PAR)

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Pakistan’s Olympic hero Arshad Nadeem has set his sights firmly on the World Athletics Championship, scheduled for September, declaring it his next big goal following a golden comeback at the Asian Athletics Championship and global recognition via Forbes.

Speaking during a training session at Punjab Stadium in Lahore, Arshad reflected on his recent achievements, including his inclusion in the Forbes 30 Under 30 – South Asia 2025 list, calling it a proud moment for the entire nation.

“Whenever Pakistan’s name shines because of me, it fills me with joy,” said Arshad.

“I always strive to win more medals and bring honour to my country. Being included in Forbes 30 Under 30 is not just my achievement; it belongs to all Pakistanis.”

Arshad Nadeem, who made history by winning Pakistan’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games last year, is now gearing up for a packed schedule leading into the World Championships.

“Training has resumed, and I’ll participate in two to three competitions before the World Championship,” he said.

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“We’re also planning sessions in England. I’m working hard to correct the mistakes I made during the Asian Championship.”

The Asian Athletics Championship gold, which ended Pakistan’s 50-year wait for continental glory, was a significant milestone in his comeback after injury setbacks. However, Arshad Nadeem is not stopping there.

His coach Salman Iqbal Butt confirmed an intense training and competition itinerary ahead of the Worlds.

“We’ve submitted Arshad’s entry for a meet in Switzerland and are planning a one-month camp in England,” said Butt.

“He’ll also feature in the final Diamond League event in Poland before heading to the World Championship. Our goal is to keep him in peak shape.”

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BUDAPEST: Star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem made history on Sunday as he clinched a silver medal, at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary. This was Pakistan’s first-ever medal in the tournament’s history.

Arshad Nadeem secured the silver with his best throw in his third attempt which went at a distance of 87.82 meters.

Meanwhile, his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra bagged India’s first gold medal at the World Athletics Championship with an 88.17m throw in his second attempt.

Arshad started things slowly with a 74.80m throw in his first attempt, however, he made a sounding comeback with an 82.81m throw in his second attempt.

His aforementioned third throw, proved to be his best in the season, going as far as 87.82 meters, while his fourth attempt could only go at 87.12m.

His fifth and sixth attempts failed to breach Neeraj Chopra’s 88.17-meter mark, hence settling for a silver.

History-maker

Arshad Nadeem becomes the very first medallist ever for Pakistan in the history of the #WorldAthleticsChamps

🥇 @Neeraj_chopra1 🇮🇳
🥈 Arshad Nadeem 🇵🇰
🥉 Jakub Vadlejch 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/N3N12VIiCN

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 27, 2023

Prior to that, Arshad Nadeem on Friday secured his place for the final of the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, as well as, the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Arshad Nadeem started off the qualifying round of the javelin throw event with a 70.63m throw in his first attempt, while in his second attempt, he threw his javelin at a distance of 81.53 meters.

However, the Automatic qualifying mark for the final of the World Athletics Championship was 83 meters, while the benchmark for the Paris Olympics was 85.50 meters.

Arshad Nadeem breached both benchmarks in his third attempt with an amazing 86.79-meter throw, consequently qualifying for both events.

It is worth mentioning that Arshad Nadeem was declared fit for the World Athletics Championship earlier this month by the medical board, after being ruled out of the Asian Athletics Championship, due to an injury to his left knee.

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Commonwealth Games (CWG) Gold medalist Arshad Nadeem left for Hungary along with his coach Salman Butt on Sunday to participate in the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Budapest.

Arshad Nadeem before leaving, trained hard in his last training session under the supervision of his coach in Lahore.

The qualifying round of the javelin throw event of the World Athletics Championship will be held on August 25, meanwhile, the final of the Javelin Throw event will be held on August 27.

While talking to the media before his departure, Arshad Nadeem gave an update about his fitness and training.

“I am fully fit and will try to perform well,” said Arshad Nadeem. “I have trained hard for the event after getting fit,”

He also thanked the President of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Major General (Rtd) Muhammad Akram Sahi for supporting him while he was nursing his injury.

“I am grateful to Federation President General Akram Sahi for supporting me in difficult times,” he added.

He also talked about the match with his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra.

“It is expected to be a good match with Neeraj Chopra in World Athletics,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Arshad Nadeem’s coach Salman Butt also showed satisfaction with his training.

“Arshad is returning to international events after a year, his fitness is satisfactory and he will try to perform well,” said Salman Butt.

“Our job is to work with full dedication, while, the result is in the hands of Allah,” he concluded.

It is worth mentioning that Arshad Nadeem was declared fit for the World Athletics Championship earlier this month by the medical board, after being ruled out of the Asian Athletics Championship, due to an injury to his left knee.

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Commonwealth Games (CWG) Gold medalist Arshad Nadeem was declared fully fit by the medical panel ahead of the upcoming World Athletics Championship, in Budapest, Hungary.

Arshad Nadeem, after recovering from an injury to his left knee, is all set to participate in the upcoming event and is currently busy training under the supervision of his coach Salman Butt.

The medical board presented Arshad’s reports to Major General (Rtd) Muhammad Akram Sahi, President of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP).

Akram Sahi expressed his pleasure at the fact that the star javelin thrower is fit from his knee injury and is ready to represent Pakistan again at the highest level.

Sahi is hopeful that Arshad will perform at his best in the World Athletics Championship and also appreciated AFP’s efforts in the athlete’s rehabilitation.

“After getting fully fit, Arshad Nadeem will give his best in the World Athletics Championship,” he said.

“The federation has taken all necessary steps to help Arshad Nadeem restore full fitness,” added Sahi.

Sahi also held WAPDA accountable for Arshad Nadeem’s injury and alleged that the department forced him to participate in the recently-held National Games where he returned with a gold medal.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan’s Commonwealth Games hero Arshad Nadeem outpowered his opponents in the National Games to get his hands on the gold medal in the 34th edition of the tournament.

Arshad showcased his potential and proved his mettle once again as he recorded the longest throw of 78.02m in his third attempt. His attempt was unmatched by any of his competitors and consequently clinched the gold medal.

He was subsequently ruled out of the Asian Athletics Championship, due to the aforementioned injury to his left knee.

Arshad Nadeem will be in action in the 19th edition of the World Athletics Championship, commencing on August 19, in Budapest, Hungary. This is the first World Athletics Championship to be held in Hungary.

Arshad Nadeem will leave for Budapest on August 20 and will compete in the javelin throw event on August 27.

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EUGENE: The 2025 World Athletics Championships will return to Tokyo, the sport’s global governing body announced Thursday.

The World Athletics Council confirmed that Tokyo would stage the championships for the second time after beating out competition from Kenya, Poland and Singapore.

It means Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium will get the chance to host a major athletics event in a packed venue, four years after staging the pandemic-delayed Olympic games in an empty arena.

“Within an extremely strong field of candidates to host the World Athletics Championships 2025, Tokyo offered a compelling bid,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

“I hope this will be a shining light for Japan as they celebrate 100 years of the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) in 2025, by bringing world-class athletics back to the people in Tokyo.”

Tokyo last hosted the World Championships in 1991, in an event best remembered for American long-jumper Mike Powell’s world record-breaking leap of 8.95m (29ft 4.4in) to eclipse Bob Beamon’s long-standing 1968 mark.

“History has shown that we have the ability and energy to host the world’s top athletes and to inspire international audiences,” JAAF President Mitsugi Ogata said in a statement.

“We promise that the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo will be full of fans to become an unforgettable experience for the athletes and everyone involved,” Ogata added.

The decision was announced on the eve of this year’s World Championships, which start on Friday at Eugene’s Hayward Field in Oregon.

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