India’s golden boy, Neeraj Chopra, is all geared for the Olympics challenge yet again. There is no doubt that everything changed after the Tokyo Olympics 2020, where, with a best throw of 87.58 meters, he achieved everything well deservedly. Chopra is all set to make a clear mark once again at the Paris Olympics, as there are a lot of expectations for him. However, it is also anticipated that this time Chopra will face tough competition from Germany’s Julian Weber and Czechia’s Jakub Vadlejch, who are also vying for the gold medal for their countries. But more than these worthy opponents, the one slowly but surely gaining hype is Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.
In the last Olympics, Arshad Nadeem made history by qualifying for an Olympic athletics final but failed to enter the top 3, finishing fifth. This time, as mentioned earlier, he could be the biggest competitor of Neeraj Chopra. Before we draw any conclusions, let’s first take a look at Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem’s head-to-head record and see where Nadeem and Chopra stand
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem head to head
| Tournament | Neeraj Chopra | Arshad Nadeem |
|---|---|---|
| South Asian Games 2016, Guwahati | 1st (82.23m) | 3rd (78.33m) |
| Asian Junior Championships 2016, Ho Chi-Minh | 2nd (77.60m) | 3rd (73.40m) |
| World U20 Athletics Championships 2016, Bydgoszcz* | 1st (86.48m) | 30th (67.17m) |
| Asian Athletics Championships 2017, Bhubaneshwar | 1st (85.23m) | 7th (78.00m) |
| Commonwealth Games 2018, Gold Coast | 1st (86.47m) | 8th (76.02m) |
| Asian Games 2018, Jakarta | 1st (88.06m) | 3rd (80.75m) |
| Tokyo Olympics 2020 | 1st (87.58m) | 5th (84.62m) |
| World Athletics Championships 2022, Oregon | 2nd (88.13m) | 5th (86.16m) |
| World Athletics Championships 2023, Budapest | 1st (88.17m) | 2nd (87.82m) |
There is no doubt that Neeraj Chopra has always come out on top against the neighbor’s ace thrower with a staggering record of 9-0. However, it is noteworthy to point out that Nadeem won the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham with a massive 90.18m throw, which means he has a better personal throw than the Indian ace in the javelin event.
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem Olympics match
So who will win this time? Will the Indian golden boy retain the gold, or will Arshad Nadeem shock the world? To watch Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem compete, fans will need to wait a few days as they will participate on August 6th in the qualifying rounds, scheduled to start at 1:50 PM IST. Group B will start at 3:20 p.m. IST. If both qualify for the final, they will compete for medals on August 8th. The men’s javelin throw final will start at 11:55 p.m. IST.
Neeraj Chopra Olympics schedule
| Date | Rounds | Time | Venue |
| 6 August | Group A | 1:50 PM | Stade de France |
| 6 August | Group B | 3:20 PM | Stade de France |
| 8 August | Final | 11:55 PM | Stade de France |
