Focus on sprinters as AFI announce national squad for Asian Athletics Championship in South Korea

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Kochi, Apr 25: Two back-to-back national records in men's 100m and 200m early in the season has given a big boost to sprinting in the country.

While Punjab's Gurindervir Singh improved the men's 100m national record to 10.20 seconds earlier in March, Odisha's Animesh Kujur lowered the men's 200m national record to 20.40 seconds on the last day of the 28th National Federation Senior Athletics Championships that concluded Thursday in Kochi.

Outstanding performances in sprints (100m/200m) have also earned leading sprinters a place in the national 4x100m relay squad for the May 27 to 31 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.

It is for the first time since the 2015 Asian meet, that the short men's relay team (4x100m) will compete at the continental meet, chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair said. The women's 4x100m relay team was also included in the national team announced by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) here in Kochi on Friday (April 25).

"We have a good team for the continental meet," AFI president BahadurSingh Sagoo said. India's star distance runner Gulveer Singh, who holds the national record over 5,000m and 10,000m is also among the 59-member team selected for next month's Asian meet in South Korea.

The day after the conclusion of the 28th National Federation Senior Athletics Championship, members of the AFI selection met on Friday in Kochi to select the national track and field team. The AFI has also selected a short (4x100m) relay in both men's and women's groups for the continental meet.

Diamond League

India's national record holder in men's 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable, will begin his 2025 season with a one-day Xiamen Diamond League in China on Saturday. Sable is among 18 runners, including Morocco's multiple Olympic and world championships medallist El Bakkali Soufiane, in the field. Japan's Mura Ryuji is the second Asian in the field. Sable will also compete in the Asian meet in May.

Indian team for Asian meet:

Men: 200m: Animesh Kujur.

800m: Anu Kumar, Krishna Kumar.

1500m:Yoonus Shah.

3000m steeplechase: Avinash Sable.

5,000m: Gulveer Singh, Abhishek Pal.

10,000m: Gulveer Singh, Sawan Barwal.

Triple Jump: Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker.

High jump: Sarvesh Anil Kushare.

Shot put: Samardeep Singh Gill.

Javelin throw: Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh.

Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar.

20km race walk: Servin Sebastian, Amit.

4x100m relay: Pranav Pramod G, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Amlan Borgohain, Tamilarasu S, Ragul Kumar G, Gurindervir Singh.

4x400m relay: Vishal TK, Jay Kumar, Manu TS, Rince Joseph, Dharamveer Choudhary, Tushar Manna, Santhosh Kumar, Mohit Kumar.

Women: 200m: Nithya Gandhe.

400m: Rupal Chaudhary, Vithya Ramraj.

800m: Twinkle Chaudhary, Pooja.

1500m: Lili Das, Pooja.

3000m steeplechase: Parul Chaudhary, Ankita.

5,000m: Sanjivani Jadhav, Parul Chaudhary.

10,000m: Sanjivani Jadhav, Seema.

100m hurdles: Jyothi Yarraji.

400m hurdles: Vithya Ramraj, Anu R.

Long jump: Shaili Singh, Ancy Sojan.

High jump: Pooja.

Discus throw: Seema.

Javelin throw: Annu Rani.

Heptathlon: Agasara Nandani.

4x100mrelay: Nithya Gandhe, Abinaya Rajarajan, Sneha SS, Srabani Nanda, Daneshwari AT, V Sudheeksha.

4x400m relay: Rupal, Sneha K, Subha Venkatesan, Jisna,Mathew, Kunja Rajitha, Sandramol Sabu.