World Athletics Championship javelin final: Arshad Nadeem out of the medal race

WEB DESK: Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem bowed out of medal contention at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo after recording a best throw of 82.75 metres in the men’s javelin throw final on Thursday.

The 27-year-old from Mian Channu, who had raised hopes with a strong qualification round a day earlier, failed to rediscover his Olympic-winning form in the final. His opening throw measured 82.73m, followed by a foul on the second attempt. Despite improving marginally with 82.75m later, the effort was not enough to secure a podium finish.

India’s Neeraj Chopra, his long-standing rival, also endured an inconsistent evening. His best effort of 84.03m placed him behind the leaders, falling short of his own world title-winning standards.

The contest was dominated by the United States’ Curtis Thompson, who launched the javelin to 86.67m, followed closely by India’s Sachin Yadav with 86.27m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters (84.59m) and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (84.38m) also impressed, relegating both Chopra and Nadeem down the leaderboard.

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Earlier in the qualifiers, Arshad Nadeem had raised expectations with a clutch throw of 85.28m on his third attempt, surpassing Chopra’s 84.85m to advance. That performance revived memories of his record-breaking 92.97m throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he clinched gold.

Nadeem, who won silver at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest with 87.82m, will now return home empty-handed from Tokyo, despite high hopes of repeating his Olympic heroics.