Pakistan's star athlete Arshad Nadeem will be one of the main rivals of India's golden boy Neeraj Chopra, who will look to defend his medal in the men's javelin final at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday.
Nadeem and Chopra both qualified for the finals with their first attempts. While Chopra topped Group A with a massive throw of 89.34m, Nadeem managed 86.59m to qualify in fourth position.
Pakistan's one and only hope for an Olympic medal
Pakistan hasn't won a Olympic medal in 32 years and all hopes now rest on 27-year-old Nadeem's shoulders. Ahead of the mega-final, Nadeem wished Chopra and himself to do well for their respective countries.
"It gives me immense joy that there are only two of us from South Asia, myself and Neeraj bhai, who are performing on the world stage along with the other players who compete with Neeraj.
"I hope that we continue to perform for our respective countries and make the names of our countries shine bright globally," Nadeem said.
Chopra vs Nadeem
Neeraj won the gold medal in his maiden Olympics campaign at Tokyo 2020 with an 87.58m throw while Nadeem finished fifth in that event with a throw of 84.62m.
He is the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event in the history of the Olympics.
"At every competition, the aim of every athlete remains to try and perform to the best of their ability. I wish Neeraj the best of luck.
"May he and I both do well for our respective countries," said Nadeem when asked about the prospect of sharing the Olympic podium with India’s Neeraj Chopra.
The bond shared by south Asian duo
They also share a friendship and mutual respect for each other with the two even interacting at the Olympic Village in Paris.
"Yes, we have met each other a few times there. We have a bit of a chat every time we meet,” said the Pakistani javelin ace. "And we spoke just now as well, and he said congratulations to me after the qualification.
“Usually, we speak about things that friends talk about. The usual stuff. And we wish each other that we do well for our respective countries," added the Commonwealth Games champion.
