Neeraj Chopra to start title defence towards robust subject

India’s javelin celebrity Neeraj Chopra will start his World Championship title defence with the qualification spherical right here on Wednesday, taking up a blockbuster subject that additionally options Olympic gold-winning Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and Diamond League champion Julian Weber of Germany.

Neeraj will purpose to grow to be the third male javelin thrower in historical past to defend the World Championships gold he had received in 2023 version in Budapest.

Czech legend Jan Zelezny (1993, 1995), who’s now Neeraj’s coach, and Anderson Peters (2019, 2022) of Grenada are the opposite two who’ve received the world championships crown on two consecutive events.

Neeraj is ready to face Nadeem for the primary time after the 2024 Paris Olympics, giving him an opportunity to avenge his second-place end within the French capital.

The Neeraj-Nadeem conflict will, nevertheless, not occur on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) as the 2 rivals have been positioned in two totally different teams within the qualifying spherical.

They are anticipated to conflict within the remaining spherical on Thursday (September 18, 2025).

Weber, Peters, Kenya’s 2015 world champion Julius Yego, 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, veteran Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic in addition to Brazil’s Luiz da Silva, one other 90m thrower, make up the remainder of the sector.

It could be a historic competitors for India as Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav will be a part of Neeraj on the sector, the largest quantity amongst competing nations within the occasion.

Neeraj has been handed a wild card as defending champion whereas the opposite three made the reduce by world rankings.

Those who attain computerized qualifying mark of 84.50m or the very best 12 will make it to the ultimate spherical to be held on Thursday.

Nadeem, 28, has come into the World Championships after taking part in only one occasion the entire season.

Neeraj will purpose to grow to be the third male javelin thrower in historical past to defend the Worlds gold he had received in 2023 in Budapest