National Inter-state meet: Top stars chase Worlds berth

young new delhi: The subject Inter say Athletics encounter starting in Chennai on Wednesday will be the last opportunity for Indian athletes to book their places for the World Championships in Tokyo. The Worlds’ cut-off date is August 24, which will be the last day of the five-day domestic meet in Chennai.

There will be a lot of excitement around 200m sprinter Animesh Kujur, who is inside the qualification cut-off through Road to Tokyo rankings (rank 42 out of 48 possible entries) and would be looking to bolster his chances in Chennai towards making his debut at the World Championships.

Kujur has attracted eyeballs this season, producing fast timings in a discipline where Indians do not have much of a pedigree. At the Asian Championships in Gumi, he won bronze, shattering the national record (20.32s).

Similar buzz will be around seasoned long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, who came close to breaching the Worlds’ entry standard of 8.27m at the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze meet in Bhubaneswar just days back. That Sreeshankar has been able to leap beyond 8m just a month into his long comeback from knee surgery has brought the focus back on the long jump pit, which was seeing some ordinary performances in his absence.

In javelin, defending world champion and two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will lead the Indian charge in Tokyo. Sachin Yadav (ranked 22) and Yashvir Singh sit inside the top-36 cut-off as well. Sachin, silver medallist at the Asian Championships with 85.16m, fell just short of the direct entry mark of 85.50m. Though he has not matched that throw in four outings since, his ranking keeps him safe. Rohit Yadav is close to the cut-off and could sneak in with a strong performance in Chennai.

In women’s javelin, Annu Rani has hit form at the right time. The Asian Games champion threw 62.59m to win in Poland and added 62.01m for gold at the Indian Open in Bhubaneswar. Another solid effort in Chennai would confirm her ticket to Tokyo.

Praveen Chithravel’s 17.37m jump has given him a direct berth in triple jump for the Worlds, while Commonwealth Games silver medallist Abdulla Aboobacker, who is holding on to 30th spot (top 36 qualify) in rankings, will be eyeing gold in Chennai to enhance his chances. Their presence promises a lively contest.

The relay squads have been India’s biggest disappointment this season. Neither the men’s nor mixed 4x400m teams managed automatic qualification at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. The men’s team had clocked a stunning 2:59.05 national record at the 2023 Worlds in Budapest but has struggled since due to poor form and injuries. Fourteen nations qualified in Guangzhou, while Japan and Zambia are ahead on time. India sits 19th with 3:00.58 from the Paris Olympics, but this season’s best of 3:03.73 in Gumi makes a sub-3 minute effort look unlikely.

Among distance runners, Gulveer Singh is one of the few to qualify outright, breaking the 5000m standard (13:01.00) with his 12:59.77 in Boston, a new national record. He is also close in the 10,000m via rankings, though he will not compete in Chennai. Steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary, already qualified with a national mark of 9:12.46, is also absent. That leaves Ankita Dhyani, just outside the rankings cut-off, to chase her Worlds dream in Chennai.

For Indian athletes, the meet will be the last push to turn rankings and form into tickets for Tokyo.

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