India's Neeraj Chopra, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem qualify for javelin final at World Athletics Championships

Dubai: Defending champion Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem both secured their spots in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday.

Chopra, looking calm and composed, needed just one attempt to book his place in the final. His first throw of 84.85m comfortably cleared the automatic qualification mark of 84.50m.

Nadeem, the 2023 World silver medallist, took a more dramatic path. After opening with throws of 76.99m and 74.17m, he nailed an 85.28m effort on his third and final attempt to clinch qualification.

India will have two representatives in the final, as Sachin Yadav also advanced with a career-best performance. Competing in Group A, Yadav opened with 80.16m and improved to 83.67m, finishing 10th overall to secure a place among the top 12. However, Rohit Yadav (77.81m) and Yash Vir Singh (77.51m) did not make the cut.

This marks the fifth consecutive global event where Chopra has qualified for the final with his very first throw — a testament to his remarkable consistency. He achieved the same feat at the Tokyo Olympics (2021), the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, and the Paris Olympics last year.

At 27, Chopra is now on the verge of defending the world title he won in Budapest two years ago with a throw of 88.17m — a historic moment that made him India’s first athletics world champion. He also holds the national record of 90.23m, set earlier this season in Doha.

Meanwhile, Nadeem will be aiming to replicate his stunning gold-medal performance at the Paris Olympics, where he threw a mammoth 92.97m to dethrone Chopra, who had to settle for silver with 89.45m.

Germany’s Julian Weber also impressed in the qualifiers. After an opening throw of 82.29m, he unleashed a season-best 87.21m in his second attempt, putting him among the top contenders. Weber and Brazil’s Luiz da Silva currently lead the world rankings this year, though Chopra remains firmly in the mix.

The men’s javelin final is scheduled for Thursday at 3:53pm IST.