Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem will not face each other during the qualification round of the men’s javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships on Wednesday, as both athletes have been placed in separate groups. The much-anticipated showdown between the Olympic and World medallists is now expected to take place only if both clear the qualification stage and progress to the final on Thursday.

In the qualification round, Chopra will compete in Group A alongside notable names such as Germany’s Diamond League winner Julian Weber, 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, Czech veteran Jakub Vadlejch, and fellow Indian Sachin Yadav. Group B features Arshad Nadeem, Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 2015 world champion Julius Yego, Brazil’s Luiz da Silva, India’s Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh, as well as rising Sri Lankan talent Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage. The automatic qualification mark is set at 84.50 meters, with the top 12 athletes from both groups combined advancing to the final.