Neeraj and I are happy to top a sport once dominated by Europeans: Nadeem

Karachi's Arshad Nadeem & India's Neeraj Chopra have a healthy competition for gold at the Paris Olympics. Nadeem won silver at the World Athletics Championship & gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Both athletes ran a victory lap after the final. Nadeem's journey began in his village in Punjab, where he was encouraged to take up athletics. He hopes to win an Olympic gold for Pakistan, despite lack of coaches, training & equipment.

In Arshad Nadeem, India's Neeraj Chopra will have tough competition for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but the Pakistani ace says for now both are just "very happy" to call the shots in a sport once dominated by the Europeans.

In cricket-crazy Pakistan, Nadeem has become the toast of the nation after becoming its first athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championship.

Nadeem bagged silver in the men's javelin thrown final in Budapest on Sunday, as Olympic champion Chopra won the gold medal.

"Neeraj and I have a very healthy competition and we respect each other a lot. There is no Pakistan-India rivalry in a bad way. When we talk we are just happy that both of us have come to the fore in a competition usually dominated by Europeans," Nadeem told PTI.

It is not the first medal that Nadeem has brought home as last year he won gold in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a best throw of 90.18 metres.

According to Nadeem, the silver medal at the Worlds was very satisfying as he competed against Chopra, one of the best in recent years.

Chopra couldn't compete in the Commonwealth Games because of a groin injury and Arshad ran away with the gold in a field dominated by European athletes.