India and Pakistan have a long history of sports rivalries and the rivalry vs Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem is the latest to join that long list, check out all their head-to-head records comparison below
While Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra seemingly dominates over Arshad Nadeem 9-0 in the head-to-head record, the Pakistan athlete has a better personal best throw record.
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem javelin throw head-to-head record, personal best throw distance and wins stats
Neeraj Chopra called Arshad Nadeem for this beautiful click. Spread love not hate Between neighbours 🇵🇰❤️🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/SyWeddOvne
— ZaiNii💚 (@ZainAli_16) August 27, 2023
– Neeraj Chopra 88.17m
– Arshad Nadeem 87.82m
– Neeraj Chopra 87.73m
– Arshad Nadeem 87.15mThe top four throws tonight are by India and Pakistan. What a moment for South Asia ❤️❤️🔥🔥 #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/aYqoyzj3Vc
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) August 27, 2023
Up until now, the only notable India vs Pakistan rivalry in athletics came between Indian track legend Milkha Singh and Pakistan’s Abdul Khaliq back in the 60s.
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem event-wise head-to-head record
Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem have so far faced off against each other head-to-head in nine international competitions. While seven of those events came in senior competitions, the other two came in junior meets. Chopra leads the head-to-head record with a 9-0 against Nadeem.
| Event | Neeraj Chopra | Arshad Nadeem |
| South Asian Games 2016, Guwahati | 1st (82.23m) | 3rd (78.33m) |
| Asian Junior Championships 2016, Ho Chi-Minh | 2nd (77.60m) | 3rd (73.40m) |
| World U20 Athletics Championships 2016, Bydgoszcz* | 1st (86.48m) | 30th (67.17m) |
| Asian Athletics Championships 2017, Bhubaneshwar | 1st (85.23m) | 7th (78.00m) |
| Commonwealth Games 2018, Gold Coast | 1st (86.47m) | 8th (76.02m) |
| Asian Games 2018, Jakarta | 1st (88.06m) | 3rd (80.75m) |
| Tokyo Olympics 2020 | 1st (87.58m) | 5th (84.62m) |
| World Athletics Championships 2022, Oregon | 2nd (88.13m) | 5th (86.16m) |
| World Athletics Championships 2023, Budapest | 1st (88.17m) | 2nd (87.82m) |
While on paper, Chopra’s dominance looks certain, but in reality, Nadeem has been consistently coming closer to beating him.
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem head-to-head personal best throws record
Although Arshad Nadeem has never officially beaten Neeraj Chopra in their head-to-head encounters, he has the upper hand when considering personal best records.
At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Nadeem won the gold medal with an impressive 90.18m throw. Nadeem’s throw was just the second time in history that an Asian athlete threw over the 90m mark. Meanwhile, Chopra missed the event due to injury, and his personal best comes close behind at 89.94m, from the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League. It is also India’s national record.
| Athlete | Personal Best | Event |
| Neeraj Chopra | 89.94m | Stockholm Diamond League 2022 |
| Arshad Nadeem | 90.18m | Commonwealth Games 2022, Birmingham |
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem head-to-head medals and achievements comparison
Given below is the list of Neeraj Chopra’s medals and achievements:
Medals
- Gold medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- Gold medal at World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest
- Silver medal at World Athletics Championships 2022 in Oregon
- Gold medal at Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta
- Gold medal at Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast
- Gold medal at Asian Athletics Championships 2017 in Bhubaneswar
- Gold medal at World Junior Athletics Championships 2022 in Bydgoszcz
- Silver medal at Asian Junior Athletics Championships 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City
Achievements
- First Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal
- First Indian to become an athletics world champion in any sport
- First Indian to win a silver medal at the world championships
- Diamond League 2022 champion
- First Indian to win a Diamond League title
- First Indian track and field athlete to become junior world champion
- Reigning U20 world record and India’s national record in men’s javelin
Given below is the list of Arshad Nadeem’s medals and achievements:
Medals
- Silver medal at World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest
- Gold medal at Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham
- Bronze medal at Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta
- Gold medal at South Asian Games 2019 in Kathmandu
- Gold medal at South Asian Games 2017 in Guwahati
- Bronze medal at Asian Junior Athletics Championships 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City
Achievements
- First Pakistani athlete to win a medal at world championships
- First Pakistani athlete to win a gold medal at Commonwealth Games since 1962
- Second Asian athlete to breach the 90m mark (90.18m) in men’s javelin throw
- Reigning Pakistani national record in men’s javelin
Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem’s inspiring friendship
Despite sharing a fierce rivalry, Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem share a beautiful friendship exemplary of true sportsmanship.
One fine example of this friendship was right after the Tokyo Olympics final when some media outlets caught Arshad practising with Neeraj’s spear and labeling it as ‘tampering’ with the Indian athelte’s spear. However, Chopra quickly came in to defend Nadeem stating:
There was nothing wrong with Arshad Nadeem using my javelin to prepare. It is within rules, and please do not use my name to push a dirty agenda.”
Their friendship was highlighted even during Neeraj Chopra’s recent historic gold medal win at the 2023 Budapest World Championships. Viewers saw Neeraj urging Nadeem for a photo-op after their intense competition. While Neeraj was looking for a national flag at that moment, he put his search on hold and joined Chopra.
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