Tokyo, World Athletics Championships —
Keshorn Walcott won the men’s javelin title at the World Athletics Championships 2025 on Thursday, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem fell short of the top eight and exited the final without a chance at a medal.
Walcott produced the day’s best mark of 88.16m in blustery conditions at the National Stadium to secure gold. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters took silver with 87.38m, and the United States’ Curtis Thompson grabbed bronze with an opening throw of 86.67m.
Nadeem unable to force extra attempts
Arshad Nadeem opened the final strongly with 82.73m, which placed him seventh after the first round, but he could not build on that start. A foul on his second attempt was followed by 82.75m on his third and another foul on his fourth. Those marks left him outside the top eight and denied him the three additional attempts granted to the leading competitors, ending his hopes of reaching the podium.
Big names, mixed nights
India’s defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra — bidding for a repeat of his 2021 success in Tokyo — managed 84.03m to finish eighth, well short of his season best. Sachin Yadav produced a personal best of 86.27m to finish fourth, while Germany’s Julian Weber managed 86.11m for fifth.
Former world champion Julius Yego of Kenya suffered a setback when he turned an ankle on his third attempt and was unable to continue.
Walcott’s return to the top
The 32-year-old Walcott added a world title to his Olympic gold from 2012, delivering two of the day’s longest throws to seal victory. Peters’ strong performance extended his run of global medals, while Thompson’s early big throw secured the United States a first world championship podium in men’s javelin since 2007.
Looking ahead
Medalists and non-medalists alike will now turn their focus to the remainder of the championships and to the international season ahead. For Nadeem, the result will be a disappointment after showing early promise in the final; for Walcott, the win marks a major resurgence on the sport’s biggest stage.
