Olympic gold medalist in javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra, is set to spearhead India's campaign in the upcoming World Athletics Championships, scheduled to commence on August 19 in Budapest, Hungary. The country will be represented by a 28-member team in the championship. The announcement of the team came as a surprise from the Sports Ministry, and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) later revealed that most of the participating athletes have already arrived in Hungary to acclimate to the local weather conditions.
Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Diamond League champion, is determined to clinch a gold medal in Budapest, seeking redemption after securing a silver in the previous edition held in Eugene, USA, in 2022. In the current season, Chopra has demonstrated his prowess by winning two Diamond League Meetings, held in Doha on May 5 and Lausanne on June 30. Despite facing a setback due to a muscle strain during training, the 25-year-old athlete has been training in Magglingen, Switzerland, in preparation for the championships. His best throw this season stands at 88.67 meters, ranking as the third-longest throw of the year, trailing behind Jakub Vadlajch of the Czech Republic (89.51m) and Julian Weber of Germany.
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Unfortunately, Asian record holder in shot put, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, will be absent from the prestigious event due to a groin injury sustained during the Asian Championships in July. Toor had claimed the shot put gold in the Asian Championships in Bangkok, registering a distance of 20.23 meters in his second throw. However, his injury prevented him from continuing further in the competition. Notably, this is not Toor's first encounter with injury, as he also missed the 2022 World Championships due to a similar groin strain, which also led to his absence in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Several other notable athletes have opted out of the World Championships, choosing to focus their efforts on the upcoming Asian Games scheduled to take place from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China. High jumper Tejaswin Shankar, 800m runner K M Chanda, and 20km race walker Priyanka Goswami, who is also a national record holder, have decided to skip the championships in favor of the Asian Games. This decision was influenced by their desire to dedicate their training and performance to the Asian Games.
Priyanka Goswami, who had previously achieved the World Championships and 2024 Olympics qualifying mark with a time of 1:28:50 during the Race Walk Nationals, has been facing challenges. Her recent performance in the World University Games in Chengdu, China, saw her finish seventh with a time of 1:40:39.
Tejaswin Shankar, a national record holder in high jump with a height of 2.29 meters, has been focusing on decathlon this season, which includes high jump as one of its ten events. He secured bronze medals in the National Inter-State Championships in June and the Asian Championships in July. In the individual high jump events of the Asian Championships and World University Games, he finished seventh (2.10m) and sixth (2.15m) respectively.
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As Neeraj Chopra and the Indian team gear up for the World Athletics Championships, they face both high hopes and challenges. While Chopra aims for a triumphant gold, the absence of notable athletes and their strategic decisions to prioritize the Asian Games underline their dedication to excel on the international stage. With a diverse range of talents and aspirations, the Indian contingent is set to make its mark in the global athletics arena.
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