Paris Diamond League: Will Neeraj Chopra be up against Pakistan's Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem? All you need to know

Indian javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra will take the field once again at the Paris Diamond League 2025 on Friday. However, he will not face his Pakistani rival Arshad Nadeem. Despite fans anticipating a thrilling face-off, Nadeem will not participate in the meet.

Nadeem, the Paris Olympics gold medallist, added to his growing fame by earning a spot on the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ South Asia list for 2025 and secured a gold at the Asian Athletics Championships, further cementing his elite status.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Meanwhile, Chopra returns to the Paris Diamond League after an eight-year gap.

The 27-year-old is hungry for a win after finishing second in his last two competitions.

He last appeared in this meet in 2017, finishing fifth with a throw of 84.67m. Now, with a season-best of 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League, Chopra is among the favourites heading into this star-studded contest.

The confirmed start list for the men’s javelin throw:

The Paris meet could be Chopra’s chance to reclaim his dominance after back-to-back second-place finishes behind Germany’s Julian Weber. He will also be keen to deliver a strong performance at the same venue where he bagged his second Olympic medal, a silver, in 2024.

Following Paris, Chopra will compete at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava on June 24, followed by the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, an elite World Athletics event he is hosting himself.