New Delhi: A 59-member Indian contingent will take part on the Asian Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea, from Might 27-31. Among the prime names within the India squad are Avinash Sable in males’s 3000m steeplechase, lengthy distance runner Gulveer Singh, who’s on a record-breaking spree this yr, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and ladies’s 3000m steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary.
Distance runner Gulveer Singh has proven spectacular type this season. (SAI)
Gulveer broke his personal 10,000m nationwide file in a meet within the US with a timing of 27:00.22s. The Hangzhou Asian Video games bronze medallist additionally set a nationwide file in 5000m (12:59.77), making the minimize for the world championships in Tokyo in September. Within the earlier Asian Championships, Gulveer had gained bronze in 5000m and completed fifth in 10,000m. This time he shall be anticipated to raised his positions. Whereas Gulveer will compete in each races, promising Sawan Barwal, who gained Federation Cup gold with a meet file (28:57.13) will be a part of him within the 10000m. Abhishek Pal, who gained bronze in 5000m final time, will characteristic in the identical.
Asian Video games champion Sable can have his first aggressive outing of the yr on Saturday on the Diamond League in Xiamen, China, the place he shall be up in opposition to a top quality subject that features Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and Commonwealth Video games champion Abraham Kibiwot.
India completed third behind Japan (37) and China (22) within the 2023 Asian meet in Bangkok with 27 medals that included six gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze. Continental champions Parul Chaudhary (steeplechase), Jyothi Yarraji (hurdles), and Abdulla Aboobacker (triple bounce) are all a part of the India crew. Nevertheless, Asian Video games champion shot putter Tajinder Pal Singh Toor was unnoticed as he was not capable of breach the Asian qualification normal of 19.10m.
Toor, who has lengthy dominated home meets, completed second within the Federation Cup. Samardeep Singh Gill took the highest prize with a throw of 19.34m and likewise booked a berth for the Asian meet.
In javelin, the onus shall be on Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh — the highest two throwers this season — to complete on the rostrum.
Tejaswin, the Asian Video games silver medallist in decathlon, impressed at Federation Cup with a gold medal (7603 factors).
Lengthy jumper Shaili Singh, who didn’t qualify for the Paris Olympics, has made a great begin to the season with an enormous bounce of 6.68m within the Federation Cup in Kochi on Thursday. She is going to compete together with Asian Video games silver medallist Ancy Sojan.
Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, who equalled his nationwide file of 17.37m, and Aboobacker have proven good type this season and could be favourites to complete on the rostrum. Chithravel leads the desk in Asia this season and Aboobacker is third.
No Gurindervir, Manikanta in particular person occasions
Animesh Kujur, who broke the nationwide file in 200m, could be carefully watched. Nevertheless, AFI has not picked any sprinter within the males’s 100m that has seen some spectacular performances this season.
Gurindervir broke the nationwide file on the Indian GP (10.20s) however he completed final in Federation Cup (11.21) earlier this week. Manikanta Hoblidhar achieved the qualifying mark set by AFI (10.25s) in semi-finals but it surely wasn’t sufficient for selectors to present him the nod. He completed third within the closing of Fed Cup wherein no sprinter achieved the minimize of 10.25s. They’re, nonetheless each a part of 4x100m relay groups.