Arshad Nadeem returns to set up India-Pakistan javelin final at 2023 World Athletics C'ships

Arshad Nadeem returned from a one-year injury layover from international action to throw the javelin 86.79 metres at the World Athletics Championships on Friday in Budapest, Hungary. With the throw, Nadeem qualified for the Paris Olympics as well as the Sunday's finals of the World Athletics Championships.

Nadeem, who has been out of international tournaments since breaching the 90m mark in August 2022 with an elbow injury, was second just behind India's Neeraj Chopra (88.77m) in the Worlds qualification round. Neeraj and Nadeem were the only two javelin throwers to reach the Paris 2024 automatic Olympic qualification mark of 85.50m.

Nadeem's return to form also sets up a delicious duel between him and Neeraj for the gold medal in Sunday's javelin final. Jakub Vadlejch and Julian Weber were 3rd and 4th in the qualification round, but neither crossed 83.50m.

All three Indians Neeraj Chopra (88.77m Rank 1st overall), DP Manu (81.31m Rank 6th overall) and Kishore Jena (80.55m Rank 9th overall) qualified for the final by finishing in the top 12.

Nadeem topped Group B qualifying on Friday. He started off with 70.63 and followed it up with 81.53. The automatic qualifying mark for the final was 83 metres. With his third throw, Nadeem smashed all those marks to rank second behind Neeraj for the day's results.

Nadeem had finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics which Neeraj had won. The two javelin throwers from across the border rose to prominence together at the 2018 Asian Games, where both stood on the podium.

In 2022, Nadeem seemed to raise his levels even more. He finished fifth in the World Championships in the USA last year. Soon afterwards, he recorded his best throw of 90.18 metre in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

However, since then he has been out of action. He underwent elbow and left knee surgery in London, took time in his rehab and returned to competition in May 2023 in Pakistan's 34th National Games in Quetta. However, here too he picked up a knee injury and had to miss the subsequent Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok.

At the Worlds, Nadeem has laid down the gauntlet once more. On Sunday, it will be the latest chapter in the most interesting India-Pakistan sports rivalry of present times as Neeraj and Nadeem go shoulder to shoulder.