Pakistan’s top javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem secured a place in the final at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo after firing an 85.28m effort on his third attempt. Nadeem’s late improvement booked him one of the 12 spots in Thursday’s medal-deciding session.
Nadeem’s day of progress
Nadeem opened with 76.99m, followed by 74.17m in his second attempt before producing the 85.28m throw that guaranteed qualification. That clutch third attempt moved him safely into the final and set up a showdown with the event’s leading names.
Other automatic qualifiers and big throws
The qualifying round produced several eye-catching marks. Julius Yego (89.53m) and Anderson Peters (85.96m) advanced from Nadeem’s group, while Curtis Thompson secured his place with a late 84.72m. In Group A, India’s Neeraj Chopra needed only one attempt to surpass the automatic standard, launching 84.85m on his opening effort. A reigning Olympic champion from Group B also progressed with an 86.56m throw, adding to his Paris 2024 gold-winning 92.97m performance earlier this cycle.
Germany’s Julian Weber recovered from a poor opener to post 87.21m and progress, and Poland’s Dawid Wegner recorded a personal best of 85.67m to reach the final. India’s Sachin Yadav produced a strong 83.67m but narrowly missed automatic qualification and will wait to see if his mark is enough to advance on overall rankings.
Field composition and qualification rules
Twelve athletes will advance to the final from a field of 37. Those clearing the automatic qualifying mark go through directly; the remaining places are filled by the best performances across both qualifying groups. Several former Olympic and world medallists, including Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and Keshorn Walcott, remain in contention.
Context in the Nadeem–Chopra rivalry
The rivalry between Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra has shaped the javelin scene in recent seasons. At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Chopra took gold with 88.17m and Nadeem claimed silver with 87.82m. At the Paris 2024 Olympics the positions reversed, with Nadeem winning gold and Chopra taking silver. Thursday’s final in Tokyo offers another chapter in that competitive storyline.
What comes next
The javelin final is scheduled for Thursday. With multiple throwers capable of 85m-plus performances already through, the medal round promises a high level of competition. Nadeem will aim to reproduce or better his qualifying mark to challenge the event favourites.
