Sreeshankar Murali, Annu Rani seeking final push to qualify for Worlds at Inter-State Athletics Championships
He did go all out, and secured the win with a season best jump of 8.13m. The win earned him crucial ranking points, pushing him closer to Worlds qualification. While there are those that will qualify for the marquee track and field event in Tokyo directly (by breaching a particular mark), others will get entry on the basis of rankings, the final decision of which lies with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
To qualify, Sreeshankar will have his last chance at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships, a World Athletics B Category event, starting on Wednesday in Chennai, where he will need to repeat his performance from Continental Tour to earn a spot for Tokyo as the qualification window ends on August 24.
'I started my season late, post injury, but the performance has been what I need right now. My only focus is on World Championships qualification at the moment. I need a good result like in Odisha and I will be good to go,' Sreeshankar, who is making a comeback from knee surgery after missing the Paris Olympics last year, told The Indian Express ahead of the Inter-State.
The 26-year-old has played four tournaments after his return and needs one more to get on the ranking list. He has crossed the 8m mark twice (8.13m at Indian Open Bronze meet in Bhubaneswar and 8.05m at Indian Open meet in Pune). His 7.94m jump at Qosanov Memorial in Kazakhstan also earned him substantial points.
World Athletics calculates an average of top five performances in the season for long jump and Sreeshankar will need to either clear the direct qualification mark of 8.27m or jump above 8.05m and secure gold – through which he will be able to reach the requisite ranking – to have a shot at the berth in Tokyo.
While Annu Rani looks set to feature in her fifth World Championships after a late surgery in the season with three 60m+ throws, things will get interesting in the men's Javelin throw.
'I am happy with my performance in Odisha. It gives me confidence that I got close to a World Championship medal. Inter-State will be a good opportunity for me to keep my rhythm before Worlds,' Annu said ahead of the tournament.
Currently ranked 28th in the Road to Tokyo 2025 rankings, Annu has more or less sealed her spot for the Worlds and a gold medal at Inter-State will give her more ranking points to solidify that position.
In the men's Javelin, reigning World Champion Neeraj Chopra along with Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh have booked their ticket for the World Championships but India can accommodate one more competitor as Neeraj has qualified directly as the defending champion.
Sachin is ranked 22nd and Yashvir is ranked 30th in the Road To Tokyo rankings and have more or less confirmed their berth.
But returning from his injury, Rohit Yadav can also stake a claim for the last berth from India with a solid result. Rohit, who has a personal best of 83.40m, is placed 56th in the rankings at the moment but a 82m+ throw and gold medal at the Inter-State can get him on to the flight to Tokyo.
'I haven't seen the rankings yet but I want to improve my performance. I had a good throw in Odisha but sadly it was a foul. So, I am hopeful that I get a big throw here,' said Rohit, who has crossed 80m twice this season.
The headline-maker of the Indian athletics season this year, sprinter Animesh Kujur is on course to become the first ever Indian male sprinter to run at the World Championships.
The 22-year-old from Chhattisgarh has been on an ascent this year breaking both 100m and 200m national records, and winning a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. He also ran an U23 race at the prestigious Diamond League in Monaco.
'I am not sure where I will end up in the rankings quota for World Championships but it will be a great moment for me if it happens,' Kujur had said ahead of the World Athletics Continental Bronze level meet in Bhubaneswar.
There are 48 berths in the men's 200m event at the World Championships and currently Animesh is placed 42nd in the list.
With just one competition left for a majority of the competition all over the world before the qualification window closes on 24th, Animesh needs a gold medal finish in Chennai to seal his berth.
Apart from the aforementioned athletes, National Games medallist Ankita Dhyani also has a solid chance to make it to the World Championships in the women's 3000m steeplechase. After she broke the national record in 2000m steeplechase last week, she has moved up in the rankings and a strong finish will result in her qualification with Asian Games medallist Parul Chaudhary already qualified by breaching the qualification mark of 9:18.00.
(The National Inter-State Championships will be live-streamed on AFI's YouTube channel.)
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