Tokyo 2020: Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem's 'historic' photo resurfaces on social media, here's the story behind it

Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday morning threw a monstrous 86.65m in the qualification round of men's javelin throw to enter the finals at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.

Neeraj Chopra exchanges a handshake with Pakistani counterpart Arshad Nadeem at Asian Games 2018. (Twitter/jon_selvaraj)

India athelete Neeraj Chopra on Sturday created history by securing a gold medal in the men's javelin throw finals at the Tokyo Olympics. The athlete threw 87.58m in his second attempt in the event to achieve this historic feat, which saw him become the first track and field from India to finish on the podium.   

Earlier on Wednesday morning, Neeraj threw a monstrous 86.65m in the qualification round of men's javelin throw to enter the finals at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. Interestingly, Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem also qualified for the finals after an attempt of 85.16m in the qualifying round from his respective group.  

Soon after the event, an old picture of Neeraj and Arshad from Asian Games 2018 held in Jakarta surfaced on the internet. The picture shows both Neeraj and Arshad shaking hands while standing at the podium after Neeraj won a gold medal at the event, while Arshad finished third at the event. Sharing the photo many even hinted at the renewed India-Pakistan rivarly at the Olympic Games.  

Neeraj had then created history by becoming the first Indian win a gold medal in javelin at the Asian Games. His attempt, which measured 88.06m, had then helped him create a new national record in men's javelin throw, which the 23-year-old rewrote earlier this year at Indian Grand Prix 3 held in Patiala. 

Fact check | Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem's viral tweet calling Neeraj Chopra his 'idol' is FAKE

Before Neeraj's historic landmark, India last stood on the podium in a javelin event back in the 1982, when the Games were held in New Delhi as Gurtej Singh secured a bronze for the nation.  

The Haryana athlete bettered his record by 0.01m and now the national record in men's javelin stands at 88.07m.     

#NeerajChopra The record throw in pics 88.07m

New National Record

Previous Record- Neeraj Chopra 88.06m (Asian Games 2018)

Photos: @channel_total Saurabh Kaushik pic.twitter.com/AiNoEMaemK — Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) March 5, 2021

Here are a few reactions:

 Neeraj Chopra Topped Group A with a Throw of 86.65m

 Arshad Nadeem Topped Group B with a Throw of 85.16m

Javelin Throw Final on 7 August #Olympics | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/LbOcAi73rB —   (@iam_JZK) August 4, 2021

HISTORY MADE!!!

Neeraj Chopra becomes the first Indian to top the qualification at any athletics event at the Olympics.

Top 3 throws in qualification:
 Neeraj Chopra 86.65m
 Johannes Vetter 85.64m
 Arshad Nadeem 85.16m#JavelinThrow #Athletics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/DL0aZFKcyS — India  at #Tokyo2020 (@IndiansportFeed) August 4, 2021

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who ditched cricket for athletics as a teenager, qualifies for javelin final. After settling for bronze at the 2018 Asian Games, Nadeem had said Indian star Neeraj Chopra was his inspiration. #Athletics #Olympics pic.twitter.com/XfsVFMr26G — Santhosh Kumar (@giffy6ty) August 4, 2021

"Arshad Nadeem had said Indian star Neeraj Chopra was his inspiration" #Tokyo2020 #Javelin https://t.co/nF8j58JxsJ — Hari Priya CR (@cr_hariPriya) August 4, 2021

Group B of the Men's Javelin was topped by Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem with 85.16m while group A was topped by India's Neeraj Chopra with 86.65m. I wonder if we're gonna see the good old Indo-Pak sporting rivalry in the Olympics this year — Glorified Mazdoor (@naaninclusive) August 4, 2021

I wouldn't mind seeing a repeat of this moment between Neeraj and Arshad from the Asian Games in the Olympic javelin finals tbh. pic.twitter.com/yTaBsssx7z — jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) August 4, 2021

In the qualification round on Wednesday, Neeraj finished at the top with a 86.65m throw, and was followed by Germany's Johannes Vetter (85.64m), and Arshad (85.16m) in the second and third position.