No Neeraj Chopra As Indians Eye Last Chance For World Berths At National Senior Athletics Championships
Murali Sreeshankar, Animesh Kujur, and Annu Rani will compete at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, a final qualifier for the World Championships in Tokyo.
Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, sprinter Animesh Kujur, and javelin thrower Annu Rani are among the stars expected to shine at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships starting here on Wednesday.
The five-day event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium provides a platform for Indian athletes to make a last-minute bid for the World Championships berths. The qualification deadline for most events for the World Championships, scheduled in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, is August 24.
Who Will Not Be In Action?
However, the event will miss some of the country's top athletes, including two-time Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, steeplechasers Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary, sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, and multiple national record holder long-distance runner Gulveer Singh.
Chopra is training and competing abroad to defend his World Championships title and has also qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on August 28. Sable will miss the season due to ACL surgery, and Yarraji has also undergone surgery. Parul and Gulveer are training abroad and have qualified for the World Championships in women's 3000m steeplechase and men's 5000m, respectively.
Long jump national record holder Jeswin Aldrin will miss the championships due to an injury. Odisha runner Kujur holds national records in both 100m (10.18 seconds) and 200m (20.32 seconds) and won gold in the Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar. He is entered only in the 200m, where he has a chance to qualify for the World Championships. Kujur is currently 42nd in the Road to Tokyo list, with 48 athletes to compete in the World Championships.
Meanwhile, Annu Rani's form has improved significantly, hitting 60m marks in meets. The 32-year-old Asian Games champion and national record holder won gold in the Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar with 62.01m after claiming the title at the 8th International Wiesław Maniak Memorial meet in Szczecin, Poland with 62.59m. She is currently 28th in the Road to Tokyo list, with 36 athletes to compete in the World Championships.
Despite the absence of Chopra and Kishore Jena, the men's javelin throw will feature several young athletes who have already breached the 80m mark and will vie for top honours. Among them are Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, Sahil Silwal, Vikrant Malik, and Shivam Lohakare.
The men's triple jump event is expected to see tough competition between national record holder Praveen Chithravel, who has directly qualified for the World Championships, and Abdulla Aboobacker. Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor will aim to rediscover his form.
The men's 100m will also see fierce competition among Gurindervir Singh, Amlan Borgahain, and Manikanta Hoblidhar.
Shaili Singh is favoured to win gold in women's long jump in the absence of Ancy Sojan, who has reportedly suffered an injury. Top runners Kiran Pahal and Rupal Chaudhary are missing from the women's 400m event.
The women's 800m and 5000m races have received lukewarm responses, with only four and three athletes entered, respectively. National record holder Priyanka Goswami is also absent from the women's 20km race walk event.
The tournament is the final qualifying event for the World Championships. To participate, athletes must meet the qualification entry standards set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) between May 1 and August 10. The entry standards must be achieved in either one state meet and one AFI event or two meets organized by AFI.
Athletes who fail to breach entry standards may be considered for participation by the AFI if they participated in all the Open Indian athletics meetings and Grand Prix Meets. The AFI can also grant direct entry to outstanding athletes who have achieved the entry standards for the World Championships or, in the opinion of the chief coach (in consultation with other coaches), have the potential to qualify for the World Championships.
tags :
Animesh Kujur annu rani Avinash Sable Jawaharlal Nehru stadium Murali Sreeshankar National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships Neeraj Chopra world championships
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First Published:
August 19, 2025, 19:02 IST
News sports No Neeraj Chopra As Indians Eye Last Chance For World Berths At National Senior Athletics Championships
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