Neeraj Included In India S Cwg Team Conditions Apply

New Delhi: Double Olympics medallist Neeraj Chopra will be the star attraction of the 32-strong track and field contingent at next month’s Commonwealth Games provided he meets Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) entry standard of 82.61m in the lead-up. Chopra, who has recovered from a back injury, is currently training in Bienne, Switzerland, at a 47-day off season camp. His coach, Jaiveer Choudhary and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha, accompany him.

A former world champion, Chopra is yet to begin his season. His much-anticipated return at the Doha Diamond League, where he breached the 90m mark for the only time in his career last year, is also a non-starter.

“Neeraj is recovering. He is training-fit but not competition-fit. He has recovered from a niggle and has assured us that he will achieve the AFI qualification mark shortly,” Adille Sumariwalla, head of AFI’s selection committee, said on Sunday while announcing the Indian squad.

AFI’s qualification window for CWG ended on Saturday at the Ludhiana leg of the Indian Athletics Series, but Sumariwalla conceded that an exception has been made to accommodate Chopra.

“We were in touch and he told us that he should be able to compete in ten days. Once fit, he will appear in a few competitions of his choice and look to meet the entry mark, following which he’ll be part of the squad,” Sumariwalla said.

The only time Chopra competed at CWG was at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Australia where his 86.47m throw won him the gold medal. He opted out of the 2022 Birmingham Games following a groin niggle he picked up at the World Championships preceding the CWG.

Besides Chopra, the Indian javelin group will be represented by Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh, both of whom logged their personal bests in Ludhiana. Yadav, who was sixth at Birmingham CWG, threw 83.76m while Singh’s 82.93m took him past the qualifying mark.

Triple jumper Selva Prabhu, who met the CWG entry standard (16.89m) en route his NCAA Division I title (16.92m) recently, will also need to prove his form. The 21-year-old, Sumariwalla said, will compete at the Inter State meet in Bhubaneswar (June 24-28) where he will need to perform “close to the qualification mark.”

“He (Selva) has done exceptionally well at the NCAA meet but has to come close to the CWG qualification mark of 16.89m in Bhubaneswar,” he said. Sumariwalla also clarified that AFI doesn’t recognise NCAA results because there’s no dope testing there but was inclined to make an exception for Selva because he has got himself tested.

“Selva Prabhu got himself tested and sent us the report, but as far as NCAA records are concerned, AFI maintains its stand,” he said.

At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the Indian athletics contingent won eight medals, including a solitary gold in the men’s triple jump. The Indian team also won four silver and three bronze medals.

The CWG will run from July 23 to August 2 with athletics scheduled from July 27 to August 1.

Men: Gurindervir Singh (100m), Animesh Kujur (200m), Gulveer Singh (5,000m/10,000m), Tejas Ashok Shirse (110mh), Yashas P and Santhosh K (400mh), Sarvesh Anil Kushare and Aadarsh Ram J (high jump), Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar (pole vault), Sreeshankar M and Lokesh Sathyanathan (long jump), Selva Prabhu and Praveen Chithravel (triple jump), Samardeep Singh Gill and Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh (javelin throw), Tejaswin Shankar (Decathlon and high jump), Vishal TK and Rajesh Ramesh (400m and mixed 4x400m relay).

Women: Parul Chaudhary (3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m), Pooja (high jump), Manpreet Kaur (shot put), Seema and Nidhi Rani (discus throw), Ravina and Priyanka (10,000m race walk), Ansa Babu (400m and mixed 4x400m relay), Rashdeep Kaur (400m and mixed 4x400m relay), Neeru Pathak (400m and 4x400m relay).

Shantanu Srivastava is an experienced sports journalist who has worked across print and digital media. He covers cricket and Olympic sports.