NEW DELHI: It’s a week of intense India-Pakistan rivalry, and the spotlight won’t be limited to cricket. While the two nations clash in a mouth-watering Asia Cup match on Sunday, attention will also turn to the athletics arena, where India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem will go head-to-head in the javelin at the Tokyo World Championships next week. Chopra and Nadeem showdown marks the latest chapter in a rivalry between the neighboring nations, which has been further strained following a deadly four-day military conflict in May—the worst since 1999.Chopra, the Tokyo Olympic champion, and Nadeem, the Paris Olympics gold medallist, will face each other for the first time in competition since the tensions escalated. Despite the political backdrop, Chopra has previously spoken about his friendly rapport with Nadeem, emphasizing mutual respect even amid the fraught relations between their countries.After Nadeem won gold and Chopra stood alongside him on the podium in Paris, Nadeem’s mother Raziah Parveen said: “Winning and losing is part of sport, but they are like brothers.”Chopra’s mother Saroj said she took some solace in Nadeem beating her son because the Pakistani “is also our boy”.But publicly at least that changed after the conflict, with high-profile figures from both countries under pressure to distance themselves from the other side.
The 27-year-old Chopra, who will defend his world title in Tokyo, said that they were “never really close friends”.Nadeem, 28, also played down any friendship with Chopra.“When he won, I congratulated him, and when I won the gold, he returned the same courtesy,” Nadeem told AFP by telephone en route to Tokyo.“(Just as) in wrestling, one wrestler wins and the other loses — it’s part of the game.”Nadeem, who is returning to competition after calf surgery in July, hails from a farming village. He became an overnight sensation when he gave Pakistan their first Olympic gold in 40 years with a Games-record throw of 92.97m.Nadeem has competed only once since Paris, winning the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea in May when Chopra did not participate.The last time the pair clashed was at the Paris Olympics.In April, the Indian star invited Nadeem to India for his ‘Neeraj Chopra Classic’ javelin event but the Pakistani declined, saying it clashed with his training schedule.Chopra then withdrew the invitation after an attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied.In the conflict that followed more than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides.“I want to clarify that I don’t have a particularly strong relationship with Nadeem, we were never really close friends,” Chopra said afterwards.“But because of the current situation, things will not be as they were. That said, if someone speaks to me with respect, I always respond in kind.”
Chopra became a national hero in India after his Tokyo gold, earning million-dollar endorsement deals with his boyish charm, changing hairstyles and infectious smile.He won the world title in Budapest in 2023 and has been in fine form since joining Czech javelin great Jan Zelezny’s coaching group ahead of the 2025 season.He went past 90m for the first time when he threw 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League meeting in May, but finished second to German Julian Weber.At the Zurich Diamond League last month, Weber once again stood on top of the podium, with a throw of 91.51m. Chopra was second with 85.01m.Along with Weber, also in Tokyo will be two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada.The world championships start on Saturday, with the men’s javelin final on September 18.(With inputs from AFP)
