All eyes are on Glasgow as India and Pakistan gear up for another blockbuster sporting rivalry.
The spotlight will be on the men's javelin throw, where India's Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem go head-to-head once again. Between them, the two stars have won two Olympic gold medals and one silver, one World Championships gold and two silvers, two Asian Games gold medals and one bronze, as well as two Commonwealth Games gold medals—setting the stage for one of the most anticipated contests of the Games.
Their rivalry is nothing new. Chopra and Nadeem have been competing against each other since their teenage years.
The Indian is back on the Commonwealth Games stage after missing the 2022 edition in Birmingham due to an injury.
Ever since sharing the stage at 2024 Paris Olympics where Nadeem won the gold and Neeraj clinched the silver, the two throwers have been at their best. Only Neeraj has managed to cross the 90m barrier in this time frame when he hurled the javelin at a distance of 90.23m at the Doha Diamond League.
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Nadeem, the holder of the Asian record with a distance of 92.97m which he achieved at the Olympics, did not cross 87m in all of 2025.
This year, in the run up to the Commonwealth Games these two have participated in only one competition. Neeraj featured in the Doha Diamond League in June and achieved a best throw of 85.69m. In July Nadeem competed in the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern in Switzerland and achieved a best of 78.47m.
Irrespective of form, these two men will be the front-runners to take the podium in Glasgow!
However they will have to resist the challenge from a rising star.
Rumesh Pathirage has sent warning signs to both Neeraj and Nadeem. His massive 92.69m throw in Rome in June sits right behind Nadeem's Asian record. At the Doha Diamdon Games, the 23-year-old finished first, three spots ahead of Neeraj.
2025 was a breakout season for Pathirage as he became first ever Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to qualify for the finals of the World Championships, where he finished seventh. He also clinched the gold medal at the South Asian Championships.
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Pathirage also has momentum by his side too. While his seniors have only competed once this year, he has featured in eight competitions. In five of those eight competitions his best throw has crossed the 85m mark, which is the sign of an elite thrower.
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