Tokyo, September 18, 2025: Pakistan’s star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem bowed out of medal contention at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after failing to qualify for the top eight in the men’s javelin final on Thursday.
Nadeem opened with a throw of 82.73 metres, placing him seventh after the first round. His second attempt was ruled a foul, while his third effort measured 82.75m. Another foul on his fourth attempt sealed his fate, as he missed the cut for the top eight required to earn three additional throws in the final.
There was also disappointment for India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra, who could not replicate his earlier season form of 90.23m. He managed a best throw of 84.03m and finished eighth, falling short of defending his crown at the same venue where he won Olympic gold in 2021.
The night, however, belonged to Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, who captured his first global title since his breakthrough Olympic gold in 2012. The 32-year-old dominated the competition in windy conditions at the National Stadium, throwing a winning mark of 88.16m. Walcott, who also owns an Olympic bronze from Rio 2016, produced the two longest throws of the evening to claim his maiden world championship medal.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters, twice a world champion (2019 and 2022), secured silver with a throw of 87.38m, while the United States’ Curtis Thompson won bronze with an opening throw of 86.67m — the nation’s first medal in the event since 2007.
India’s Sachin Yadav finished strongly in fourth place with a personal best of 86.27m, edging past Germany’s Julian Weber, who struggled with a best of 86.11m despite entering the championships with the world-leading 91.51m from last month’s Diamond League final in Zurich.
Kenya’s Julius Yego, the 2015 world champion, suffered misfortune when he turned his ankle on his third attempt and withdrew from the competition.
