India Vs Pakistan In Tokyo: Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem Lead Javelin Showdown At World Athletics 2025

It's India vs Pakistan throwdown in Japan today, and most likely tomorrow, also! Tokyo's National Stadium will be teeming with the world's best javelin throwers, including four Indians, as they fight for 12 places in the final. Neeraj Chopra is the defending champion, while Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan's lone representative, arrives as the Olympic gold medallist.

Here's all you need to know about the World Athletics Championships 2025, men's javelin throw event – the competitors, groups, qualification process, et al.

World Athletics Championships 2025: Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Groups

This year's field includes thirty-seven athletes, with eight having previously breached the 90-metre mark: Anderson Peters (93.07), Arshad Nadeem (92.97), Julius Yego (92.72), Julian Weber (91.51), Luiz Mauricio Da Silva (91), Jakub Vadlejch (90.88), Neeraj Chopra (90.23), and Keshorn Walcott (90.16).

The competitors are divided into two groups, each featuring a mix of seasoned champions and emerging contenders. Group A includes India's Neeraj Chopra and Sachin Yadav. Group B features Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem alongside Indian throwers Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh.

Group A: Neeraj Chopra (India), Julian Weber (Germany), Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago), Jakub Vadlejch (Czechia), Edis Matusevicius (Lithuania), Cyprian Mrzyglod (Poland), Keyshawn Strachan (Bahamas), Marc Minichello (USA), Genki Dean (Japan), Lassi Etelatalo (Finland), Pedro Henrique Rodrigues (Brazil), Sumeda Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka), Yuta Sakiyama (Japan), Sachin Yadav (India), Dawid Wagner (Poland), Hu Haoran (China), Sindri Hrafn Guomundsson (Iceland), Billy Julio (Colombia), and Leandro Ramos (Portugal)

Group B: Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan), Anderson Peters (Grenada), Luiz Mauricio da Silva (Brazil), Julius Yego (Kenya), Curtis Thompson (USA), Rumesh Tharanga (Sri Lanka), Lars Flaming (Paraguay), Eemil Porvari (Finland), Martin Konecny (Czechia), Simon Wieland (Switzerland), Oliver Helander (Finland), Cameron McEntyre (Australia), Rohit Yadav (India), Gen Naganuma (Japan), Marcin Krukowski (Poland), Yash Vir Singh (India), Artur Felfner (Ukraine), and Douw Smit (South Africa).

World Athletics Championships 2025: How They Earned Tokyo Spots?

Neeraj Chopra and other top javelin throwers qualified for Tokyo through consistent top-tier performances across the Diamond League circuit. Chopra, the reigning world champion and two-time Olympic medallist, had a season-best throw of 90.23 metres in Doha, which placed him among the top three globally.

Arshad Nadeem, the Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024, whose record-breaking 92.97 metre throw not only stunned the field but also guaranteed his place in Tokyo.

Sachin Yadav, his compatriot in Group A, earned his spot with a personal best throw of 85.16 metres and a top-eight finish at the Asian Athletics Championships earlier this year.

Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh, the other two Indians in Group B, qualified through a combination of national rankings and meeting the World Athletics entry standard during the Indian Grand Prix series.

World Athletics Championships 2025: Who Will Make The Cut for Tomorrow’s Final?

Tomorrow's final will start with twelve competitors, then the top eight after three rounds will continue with three more attempts to decide the medal positions.

The qualification for the final is straightforward: each one gets three attempts, and throws beyond 84.50 metres earn automatic entry into the final. If fewer than 12 athletes achieve that mark, the remaining spots are filled by the best performers across both groups based on distance.

With both Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem poised to clear the qualifying rounds with ease, all signs point to a blockbuster Tokyo final, one that goes beyond athletics and taps into the India vs Pakistan rivalry.