Inter-State Athletics Championships 2023: Murali Sreeshankar, Annu Rani among leading names in entry list

Inter-State Athletics Championships 2023 entry list saw the inclusion of several star names of Indian athletics as Athletics Federation of India (AFI) made its participation mandatory for Asian Games qualification. Several of athletes training abroad will return homeland to compete in the event, slated in Bhubaneswar on June 15-19.

Inter-State Athletics Championships 2023 entry list notably includes long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, who finished a creditable third in the Paris Diamond League on Friday. The discipline is expected to be a spectacle as national record holder Jeswin Aldrin and Muhammad Anees have also entered names. The women's long jump entry list, meanwhile, includes Shaili Singh, who is inching closer to Anju Bobby George's record.

Women's javelin national record holder Annu Rani, who earlier pleaded with the government to sort out her visa issues to train abroad with her German coach, has also entered her name for the event. The two major names exempted from the tournament are Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra and 3000m steeplechase star Avinash Sable, who have been training abroad for the entire season.

Chopra (training in Finland) is currently nursing a muscle injury and has skipped FBK Games as well while Sable has been training in the USA. Notably, Parul Chaudhury, who has been sharing the training base with Sable, has entered the women's steeplechase.

The men's triple jump will be in the spotlight too with both the 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists -- Eldhose Paul and Abdullah Aboobacker -- are also going to compete in the event. Praveen Chithravel, Arpinder Singh, and Mohammad Salahuddin are other notable entrants.

The 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, who has been competing abroad for the past month, has entered her name for 100m flat as well. The national record holder has skipped the 200m flat, where she competed at the Federation Cup last month. Her fellow camper at Reliance Foundation, Amlan Borgohain has entered his name for 200m despite competing in both the sprints abroad in the past few weeks.

Women's 1500m national record holder Harmilan Bains, who missed the last season following knee surgery, is all set to compete in the senior domestic season for the first time this season as she has entered for both 800m and 1500m. She earlier breached the qualifying standard for the Asian Games during the All India Inter University Athletics Championships in March and also competed in an 800m event in Manchester last month.

Swapna Barman, who is defending Asian Games champion, Purnima Hembram have entered their names for the tournament as well. Barman, who was born in West Bengal, will be representing Madhya Pradesh. Triple jumper Tejaswin Shankar has entered his name for the decathlon while giving the triple jump a miss.

List of elite athletes competing at Inter-State Athletics Championships 2023

Men: Amiya Mullick (100m & 200m), Amlan Borgohain (100m); Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal, Muhammed Anas, Arokia Rajiv, Rajesh Ramesh (400m & 400m relays); Jinson Johnson (1500m); Murli Kumar Gavit, Gulveer Singh (5000m & 10000m); Tejas Shirse (110m hurdles); Jabir MP, Santhosh T (400m hurdles); Murali Sreeshankar, Jeswin Aldrin Muhammad Anees (long jump); Eldhose Paul, Abdullah Aboobacker, Praveen Chithravel (triple jump); Sandeep Kumar (racewalk); Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon)

Women: Jyothi Yarraji (110m hurdles & 100m); Srabani Nanda, Aishwarya Daneshwari, Archana Suseendran (100m); Jisna Matthews, Priya HM, Aishwarya Mishra, Rupal Chaudhary (400m); Harmilan Bains (800m & 1500m); Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase); Shaili Singh, Ancy Sojan, Nayana James (long jump); Seema Punia (discus throw); Annu Rani (javelin throw); Priyanka Goswami, Bhawana Jatt (racewalk); Swapna Barman, Purnima Hembram (heptathlon)