Did you know: Pak's Olympic javelin thrower Nadeem calls India's Neeraj Chopra his 'hero'

India's javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday qualified for the finals round of the Javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics. Making his Olympic debut, Chopra qualified for the final in some style by throwing a distance of 86.65m in his very first attempt to put himself in the top spot of the Group A qualification. In the other group, Arshad Nadeem, who became the first-ever Pakistani to qualify for the final of a track and field competition in the Olympics, could easily have been lost to cricket had it not been for his brother who convinced him to take up athletics. 

Arshad threw the javelin at a distance of 85.16 metres to qualify for the final where he will be pitted against India's Neeraj Chopra - the 2018 Commonwealth champion - who threw 86.65 metres in his first attempt, and Germany's Johannes Vetter. Now, with the stage all set for the finals, fans are excited to witness India vs Pakistan match at the biggest sporting event of all. 

Arshad Nadeem calls Neeraj Chopra his 'hero'

Going by the official website of the Olympics; Arshad Nadeem in his profile has called his Indian counterpart Neeraj Chopra, his 'hero'. In the player's profile section of the Olympics official website, Nadeem has mentioned Neeraj Chopra as his hero.  

Nadeem is the first Pakistani athlete in history to qualify for the final of any track and field event at the Olympics. Nadeem made it to the podium at the South Asian Games in Nepal and he also took bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games behind gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.

Neeraj Chopra aims for a perfect show in the finals at Tokyo

Neeraj Chopra's qualification for the finals will go down as one of the best performances by an Indian athlete in the Olympics. He finished ahead of gold-medal favourite and 2017 world champion Johannes Vetter of Germany.  He is considered as the favourite to win India's maiden track-and-field medal at the Olympic Games but the 23-year-old said that the fight for the medal will be a totally different game altogether. 

Following the match, Chopra had said, "It will be a different feeling (in the finals) since it is my first time in the Olympics. Physically we (all) train hard and are ready, but I also need to prepare mentally. I will need to focus on the throw, and try to repeat this (performance) with a higher score."

(Image Credits: @Arshadjavelin/Twitter/AP)