Neeraj Chopra achieved a personal best of 90.23 metres at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, finally breaching the elusive 90-metre barrier
Neeraj Chopra (left) with Arshad Nadeem at the World Athletics C’ship in 2023 (Pic: AFP)
Pakistan-based Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem remained restrained when asked about his relationship with Neeraj Chopra, days after the latter clarified that the two athletes 'were never really close friends'.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore ahead of the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships, Nadeem addressed the media with caution. “I don't want to make any comments about Neeraj because of the ongoing conflict with India,” he said. “I come from a village, and I will only say that my family and I will always stand with our army.”
"First, I would like to clarify that I don’t have a very strong relationship [with Nadeem], we were never really close friends or something. But, because of this [tensions at the India-Pakistan border], it will not be like before. But if someone talks to me respectfully I reciprocate the respect,” Chopra had earlier told reporters at a press conference.
Chopra had extended an invitation to top global javelin athletes, including Nadeem, for the now-postponed Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics-approved event initially scheduled to be held in Bengaluru.
However, the invitation drew criticism from certain Indian social media users in light of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The criticism intensified following a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which tragically claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. Chopra later said that his bond with Nadeem would not remain the same, citing the worsening political climate with Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Chopra achieved a personal best of 90.23 metres at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, finally breaching the elusive 90-metre barrier. The throw made Chopra only the 25th male javelin thrower in history to join the prestigious '90-metre club'. However, his record-setting effort earned him a second-place finish behind Germany’s Julian Weber, who claimed the top spot with a throw of 91.06 metres.
Prior to this landmark performance, the 26-year-old’s personal best stood at 89.94 metres, achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League on June 30, 2022. Since then, the 90-metre mark had remained a tantalising target, with Chopra consistently producing world-class performances but falling just short of the iconic distance. That changed in Doha, where his powerful release and near-flawless technique propelled the javelin beyond the historic threshold.
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