Star India javelin thrower and World Championship gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will aim to repeat his Tokyo 2020 heroics to retain his title at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Thursday. Chopra fired a thumping throw of 89.34m in the Group B of the men’s javelin throw qualification round at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday and advanced to the finals.

However, this time, a tough fight awaits the champion who defends his title.

This year, the quality of the field is better than Tokyo, with nine shooters passing the automatic final round qualifying mark of 84m in Paris compared to six in Tokyo. Five of the nine shooters reached the final round with their first throw, so they will have plenty in the tank for the medal round.

One of the most eagerly awaited matches in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics will be the fight between Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.

Nadeem, who won the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold with a throw of 90.18m to beat two-time world champion Anderson Peters, is unpredictable and has made big throws before. After returning from elbow surgery, he won silver behind Chopra at the 2023 Budapest World Championships with a throw of 87.82m.

Arshad and Neeraj have developed a healthy rivalry over the years, with Neeraj dominating the head-to-head record at 9-0. However, Arshad’s personal best of 90.18m from the 2022 Commonwealth Games is ahead of Neeraj’s personal best.

The entire Pakistan cricket team came forward to tell him, “First of all, Arshad Nadeem, congratulations on qualifying for the finals. We are eagerly waiting and hope you win a medal for Pakistan.”

We support our star Arshad Nadeem

Pakistan team sends best wishes to Arshad ahead of Men’s Javelin Throw final at Paris Olympics this evening picture.twitter.com/qOqvewkRkp

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 8, 2024

The final will be played on Thursday at 23:55 Turkish time. He successfully passed the 84.00 m qualifying threshold.

(With inputs from agencies)