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Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem: Is Javelin Throw the emerging battleground in sports between India and Pakistan?
In the light of consistent success of Neeraj and Arshad, Javelin Throw seems to have emerged as the new battleground in sports between India and Pakistan.
It was a sight to behold when India's Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem received the gold and the silver medals respectively at the 2023 World Atheltics Championships in Budapest on Sunday night. Neeraj became the champion with a huge throw of 88.17 metres while Arshad emerged as the runner-up by achieving his season's best distance of 87.82 metres.
It's no secret how a contest between India and Pakistan in cricket, draws enormous crowds and brings life to a standstill on some occasions. India-Pakistan rivalry in cricket, keeps spectators on the edge of their seats and is often hailed as the "biggest contest in world sports". The arch rivalry is also seen in hockey and kabaddi.
And now in light of the huge and consistent success of Neeraj and Arshad for their respective countries, Javelin Throw seems to have emerged as the new battleground in sports between India and Pakistan.
When Neeraj and Arshad competed in Javelin Throw final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there was a big difference in their performances. Neeraj had become the gold medal winner with a huge throw of 87.58 metres. On the other hand, Arshad had got the fifth position by throwing a distance of 84.62 metres. .
But in recent times, Arshad seems to have lifted his performance and skill, to become a tough competitor against Neeraj. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Arshad breached the 90m mark and clinched the gold medal. He created history by becoming the first Pakistani to win it in Javelin Throw. Although Neeraj had missed the same CWG Games due to injury, Arshad's throw beyond 90m was a remarkable feat, given the fact that Neeraj hasn't crossed 90m in his career thus far.
In the Javelin Throw final at the 2023 World Atheltics Championsips in Budapest on Sunday, it was a crackerjack contest between the two, with Arshad coming very close to matching Neeraj's performance. Eventually, Neeraj became the first Indian to win gold at the championships while Arshad achieved the honour of being the first Pakistani to win silver in Javelin Throw at the championships.
Interestingly, while both Neeraj and Arshad have crossed paths at various world events, they have praised each other's skills in an exhibition of true sportsmanship. The two world class stars are great admirers of each other's abilities.
After Arshad's historic win at the 2022 CWG Games, requests were made from some Pakistani people including his coach Syed Hussain Bukhari, to have a direct contest in Javelin Throw between Neeraj and the 26-year-old star in Pakistan.
“Most of the time, Arshad trains at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad and Lahore too, my wish is to see Arshad and Neeraj compete at a packed stadium in Lahore or Islamabad. Neeraj is also like our son. I as a Pakistani promise you that if Neeraj wins, we will shower him the same love we showered on Milkha Singh Ji when he won against Abdul Khaliq in Lahore in 1960. Athletes share a common bond of love for the sports," Bukhari had told Indian Express in 2022.
Similar requests may arise again after Sunday's performance by Neeraj and Arshad. However, in the current geopolitical scenario, thousands of Indian fans might not want to entertain such ideas as Pakistan continues to encourage terrorism and engages in activities that undermine India's security and sovereignty.
