India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be a notable absentee from the Indian contingent at next month’s Asian Athletics Championships, to be held from May 27-31 in Gumi, South Korea.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced a 59-member team after the completion of the Federation Cup in Kochi on Friday.
Double Olympic medallist Chopra has opted to miss the continental meet to concentrate on more high-profile events this season, such as the Doha Diamond League on May 16 and the Neeraj Chopra Classic, which he is organising in Bengaluru on May 24. He started his season on a high note by winning the Potchefstroom Invitational with a throw of 84.52m.
The decision to miss the Asian Championships is not surprising, as Chopra had not competed in the event after 2017, when he bagged gold in Bhubaneswar. He has had his eyes set on the global meets like the Diamond League, World Championships, and the Olympics ever since then.
A few of the best performers at the recent Federation Cup qualified for the Asian Championships, which is a major competition before the World Championships in September. There were some surprises in the omissions, though.
Toor, Dev Kumar Meena fail to qualify
Defending Asian champion and shot put national record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor was omitted after coming second in Kochi. Equally, pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena, even though he broke his own national record, failed to qualify according to the AFI’s qualification standard and was also omitted.
Other athletes who were competing and training outside the country with AFI’s advance clearance, including Avinash Sable (men’s 3000m steeplechase), Parul Chaudhary (women’s 3000m steeplechase), and Gulveer Singh (5000m and 10000m), were added to the final team.
The squad also includes new national record holders such as sprinter Animesh Kujur (200m) and triple jumper Praveen Chitravel, who broke his own record at the Federation Cup. National record holder Annu Rani earned a place in the team with a 58.82m heave at the Indian Open Throws Competition in March, even as she had registered a lower score of 56.66m at the Federation Cup.
The AFI had made attending the Federation Cup (April 21-24) a central selection criterion with exemptions allowed only in exceptional circumstances.
In the last edition of the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, India had won a combined total of 27 medals (6 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze), coming third after Japan and China.