CHENNAI: Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, sprinter Animesh Kujur, and javelin thrower Annu Rani are among the stars expected to shine at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, set to begin on Wednesday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The five-day event will serve as a crucial platform for Indian athletes aiming for last-minute qualification for the World Championships, scheduled in Tokyo from September 13 to 21. The deadline for most events is August 24.
However, several top athletes will be absent, including two-time Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, steeplechasers Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary, sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, and long-distance runner Gulveer Singh. Chopra is training and competing abroad to defend his World Championships title and is also set for the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on August 28. Sable and Yarraji will miss the season due to ACL surgery, while Parul and Gulveer are training overseas, already qualified in the women’s 3000m steeplechase and men’s 5000m, respectively.
Returning from knee surgery, 26-year-old Sreeshankar has been in impressive form, winning four consecutive events with a season-best 8.13m and claiming gold at the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet earlier this month. However, he is not yet on the World Athletics Road to Tokyo rankings due to his long layoff and will need to clear the 8.27m direct entry mark to qualify for the World Championships. Long jump national record holder Jeswin Aldrin, struggling with injury, will miss the event.
Odisha sprinter Kujur, holder of the national 100m (10.18s) and 200m (20.32s) records, won gold in the Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar and will compete only in the 200m, where he has a chance to secure World Championships qualification. He currently ranks 42nd in the Road to Tokyo list, with 48 athletes to qualify.
Annu Rani has regained form, consistently throwing beyond 60m. The 32-year-old Asian Games champion and national record holder recently won gold at the Continental Tour meet in Bhubaneswar with 62.01m, following her 62.59m victory at the 8th International Wieslaw Maniak Memorial meet in Poland. She is currently 28th in the Road to Tokyo rankings, out of 36 qualifiers.
Despite Chopra’s absence, the men’s javelin throw will feature a strong field of young throwers already past the 80m mark, including Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, Sahil Silwal, Vikrant Malik, and Shivam Lohakare. The men’s triple jump is expected to be fiercely contested between national record holder Praveen Chithravel, who has already qualified for the World Championships, and Abdulla Aboobacker, while shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor aims to regain top form. The men’s 100m will see intense competition among Gurindervir Singh, Amlan Borgahain, and Manikanta Hoblidhar.
In the women’s events, Shaili Singh is the favourite in long jump following Ancy Sojan’s reported injury. The women’s 400m will be missing top runners Kiran Pahal and Rupal Chaudhary, while the 800m and 5000m events have seen limited entries, with only four and three athletes, respectively. National record holder Priyanka Goswami will also not compete in the women’s 20km race walk.
This championship serves as the final qualifying opportunity for the World Championships. Athletes must meet the qualification standards set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) between May 1 and August 10, achieved either through one state meet and one AFI event, or two AFI-organized meets. Those who fall short of the standards may still be considered if they participated in all Open Indian athletics meetings and Grand Prix events. The AFI can also grant direct entry to exceptional athletes who have already met World Championships standards or, in the opinion of the chief coach, have the potential to qualify.
