The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced the country’s 19-member squad for the upcoming World Athletics Championships, scheduled to take place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21. The contingent includes 14 men and five women competing across 15 disciplines. Notably absent is steeplechaser Avinash Sable, who, along with Asian heptathlon champion Nandini Agasara and race walker Akshdeep Singh, was excluded due to medical reasons.
Defending champion Neeraj Chopra will lead the team as India’s top medal contender in the javelin event. The javelin squad is the largest for a single event, featuring four athletes: Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Yadav, Yash Vir Singh, and Rohit Yadav. Three athletes—Gulveer Singh (5000m), Praveen Chithravel (triple jump), and Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase)—secured qualification by meeting the entry standards.
Gulveer Singh will also compete in the 10,000m race, while middle-distance runner Pooja is set to participate in both the 800m and 1500m events.
AFI chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair outlined plans for a pre-competition training camp in Tokyo from September 4 to 9, with athletes moving to the official hotel on September 10. Neeraj Chopra, currently in Czechia, will join the camp on September 5, while other javelin throwers plan to arrive closer to their event dates.
AloJapan.com