Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem
Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem has declined Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra‘s invitation to compete in the NC Classic event in Bengaluru on May 24, citing a scheduling conflict with his training for the Asian Athletics Championships in Korea, while expressing gratitude for the invitation.
“The (NC) Classic event is from 20th May (May 24) whereas I am scheduled to leave for Korea on 22nd May for the Asian Athletics Championship,” Nadeem was quoted as saying by PTI.
Nadeem mentioned he has been focusing his training efforts on the Asian Championship, scheduled to take place in Gumi, Korea from May 27 to 31.
Chopra had earlier reached out to Nadeem regarding participation in the inaugural event. “I have sent invitation to Arshad and he said he will get back to me after discussing with his coach. As of now he is yet to confirm participation,” Chopra told reporters in a virtual media interaction on Monday.
The two athletes recently faced off at the 2024 Paris Games, where Nadeem secured gold with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m, while Chopra earned silver with 89.45m.
The inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic has attracted several international stars. Grenada’s Anderson Peters, a two-time world champion, and Germany’s Thomas Rohler, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, have confirmed their participation.
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The event will also feature Kenyan Julius Yego, who won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and gold at the 2015 World Championships. American Curtis Thompson, currently leading the season with an 87.76m throw, will also compete.
World Athletics has granted the competition category A status.
The event is a collaborative effort between Chopra and JSW Sports, working alongside the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics, bringing together elite javelin throwers from around the world and India.
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