After a year studded with memorable achievements, including 29 medals amid the record-breaking haul at Hangzhou Asian Games, Indian athletics has embarked on a fresh season with renewed hopes. In the run-up to the eagerly-awaited Paris Olympic Games in July-August 2024, athletes from the country will compete in several major competitions. The first challenge in front of them is the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, to be held Tehran, Iran from February 21 to 23. (Sports News)
The Athletics Federation of India has named a 15-member contingent - eight women and seven women - for the 11th edition of the Asian championships. The women's squad will be headlined by champion hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, while the men's squad includes veteran shot put practitioner Tajinder Pal Singh Toor.
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Athletes To watch Out For
Yarraji had a fabulous last season, with a gold medal at the Asian Outdoor Athletics Championships and silver at the Asian Games as well as the Asian Indoor Championships. The 24-year-old from Visakhapatnam will be aiming to go one better this time, than her 60m hurdles silver in 2023.
Toor, on the other hand, was India’s only gold medallist at the 2023 edition of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, and will be looking to defend his title. The 29-year-old from Moga, Punjab had defended his Asian Games title in Hangzhou last year, and will be looking to do the same at the Indoor Championships in Iran.
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Other medal hopefuls include Hangzhou Asian Games double silver medallist Harmilan Bains, who will contest the 1500m race in Tehran. Promising young long jumper Shaili Singh, who had bagged a silver medal at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships in 2021, is also a part of the squad.
Last Year's Performance
The previous edition was held in February 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan. India had sent a 25-member contingent for the event, and returned with eight medals in all - a gold, six silver and one bronze.
Indian Contingent For Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
Men's Squad
Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), VK Elakkiyadasan (60m), Tejas Ashok Shirse (60m hurdles), Mohammed Afsal (800m), Ajay Kumar Saroj (1500m), Gulveer Singh (3000m), Dhanvir (shot put).
Women's Squad
Jyothi Yarraji (60m hurdles), Harmilan Bains (1500m), Nayana James (long jump), Shaili Singh (long jump), Ankita (3000m), Pooja (high jump), Pavithra Venkatesh (pole vault), E Baranica (pole vault).
