NEW DELHI: The highly anticipated javelin duel between India’s Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Paris Games gold medallist Arshad Nadeem at the Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland, on August 16 will not take place, as neither athlete’s name appears on the entry list.
The reason behind Chopra’s absence from the list remains unclear. On July 9, organisers had confirmed the participation of both Chopra, a two-time Olympic medallist, and Nadeem, sparking excitement among athletics fans for a rare high-profile clash between the South Asian rivals.
However, late last month, Nadeem underwent calf surgery in England, casting doubt over his availability.
The Silesia field will still feature strong contenders, including Julian Weber (Germany), Anderson Peters (Grenada), Julius Yego (Kenya), Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago), Dean Roderick Genki (Japan), Andrian Mardare (Moldova), and Mrzygold Cyprian (Poland).
Despite skipping both Silesia and the Brussels leg of the Diamond League on August 22, Chopra remains well-placed to qualify for the DL Finals in Zurich on August 28. He sits joint-top with Weber at 15 points, earned from one win and one runner-up finish this season. Anderson and Walcott follow with 10 points each. The top six after Brussels advance to Zurich.
Chopra last competed at the NC Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, winning with an 86.18m throw. Earlier in May, he crossed the 90m mark for the first time in his career at the Doha DL (90.23m) but finished second to Weber. He later claimed victory at the Paris DL in June with an 88.16m effort.
The 27-year-old will next aim to defend his title at the World Championships in Tokyo from September 13–21.
