The Indian athletics contingent will face its first big test of the year at the Asian Athletics Championships 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand from July 12. The four-day event will serve as preparation for Indian athletes ahead of the Asian Games [to begin in late September] and will also double up as a qualifying avenue for the 2023 World Championships.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had named a 54-member squad for the event, but that list is now short by five as the likes of triple-jumper Praveen Chithravel and javelin thrower Rohit Yadav have pulled out citing injuries, while shot-putter Karanveer Singh has been dropped over doping charges. More on that later.
Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable will miss the event as they're training abroad, but there are plenty of big names to look out.
India finished fifth in the 2019 edition of the Asian Athletics Championships with two gold medals and 15 medals overall.
How important are the Asian Athletics Championships 2023 from an Indian perspective?
The Asian Athletics Championships 2023 act as the perfect warm-up for the upcoming Asian Games and World Championships. While the event gives Indian athletes a chance to size up their opponents, many of whom will be at the Asian Games as well, it also gives them a chance to score ranking points for the World Championships.
For example, long jumper Shaili Singh is ranked 31 in the Road to Budapest rankings. Considering that the top 36 athletes will qualify for the World Championships, Shaili can solidify her position with a good show at the Asian Championships.
The Asian Games are from September 23 to October 8, while the World Championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary from August 19-27.
Changes in Indian track and field calendar leave top athletes in the lurch
Who are the Indian athletes to watch out for at the Asian Athletics Championships 2023?
There are plenty of in-form athletes heading into the Asian Athletics Championships 2023. The top among them is 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, who's run under the 13s mark five times this year [first Indian to do so].
Sreeshankar Murali, fresh from a third-place finish at the Paris Diamond League and a world #2 jump of 8.41m [in 2023], will look to grab the gold, as will shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who re-wrote the Asian record last month and will be keen to defend his title. Tejaswin Shankar will be representing India for the first time as a decathlete. He fell short of the national record (7658) by 10 points when he won silver at the Jim Click Shootout event in Arizona, USA in early April.
Manu DP, who is the second-best Indian thrower and 10th-best in 2023, will be the sole representative in men's javelin.
Indian contingent at Bengaluru airport, all set for the Asian Athletics Championships schedule to be held at Bangkok from July 12 to 16. pic.twitter.com/JD7qXG8oAd
- Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) July 9, 2023
There was some controversy surrounding the Indian squad for the Asian Athletics Championships 2023....
A couple of athletes such as Rohit and Praveen cited injury, after the squads were announced, and withdrew from the event while a couple of doping cases have also come about.
Shot putter Karanveer failed an out-of-competition dope test conducted and was axed from the team. The 25-year-old is the sixth-best Asian shot-putter this year. According to reports on Tuesday, two more members of the Indian team, one woman sprinter and one woman quarter-miler, have also tested positive for banned substances and have not travelled to Thailand.
Also, 400m runner Muhammed Anas is not in the squad. His performances were up to the mark but since he was not part of the national camp [at the Federation Cup], he did not figure in the 4x400m squad. The AFI added his name later on, but it was not accepted by the organisers.
Any notable names missing the Asian Athletics Championships 2023?
Other than the injuries, two big names will be missing: Neeraj and Sable. Neeraj came back from an injury break to win the Lausanne Diamond League last week and has since shifted his focus to the World Championships. Following that, he will compete in the Diamond League final and Asian Games.
Sable, on the other hand, will compete in the men's 3000m steeplechase at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on July 16. Sable has already qualified for the World Championships by meeting the entry standard.
What is India's full squad for the Asian Athletics Championships 2023?
Men: Murali Sreeshankar (long jump), Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), DP Manu (javelin throw), Rajesh Ramesh (400m/4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Muhammed Ajmal (400m/4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Amoj Jacob (4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Nihal Joel William (4x400m relay), Mijo Chacko Kurian (4x400m relay), Krishan Kumar (800m), Mohammed Afsal (800m), Ajay Kumar Saroj (1500m), Jinson Johnson (1500m), Gulveer Singh (5000m/10000m), Abhishek Pal (5000m/10000m), Mohammed Nurhasan (3000m steeplechase), Bal Kishan (3000m steeplechase), Yashas Palaksha (400m hurdles), Santhosh Kumar (400m hurdles), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (high jump), Akshdeep Singh (20km race walk), Vikash Singh (20km race walk).
Women: Jyothi Yarraji (200m/100m hurdles), Nithya Ramraj (100m hurdles), Aishwarya Mishra (400m/4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Chanda (800m), Lavika Sharma (800m), Lili Das (1500m), Ankita (5000m), Parul Chaudhary (5000m/3000m steeplechase), Sanjivani Jadhav (10000m), Priti (3000m steeplechase), Pooja (high jump), Rubina Yadav (high jump), Baranica Elangovan (pole vault), Shaili Singh (high jump), Ancy Sojan (long jump), Abha Khatua (shot put), Manpreet Kaur (shot put), Annu Rani (javelin throw), Swapna Barman (heptathlon), Priyanka (20km race walk), Bhawna Jat (20km race walk), Rezoana Mallick Heena (4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Jyothika Sri Dandi (4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Jisna Mathew (4x400m), Subha Venkatesan (4x400m)