Reigning world javelin champion Neeraj Chopra will lead India's 19-member squad for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced the squad, which includes 14 men and five women, on Sunday. The competition will run from September 13 to 21.
This year, India has four men in the javelin throw event. It is the first time the country will have four representatives in one event at the World Championships. Chopra, as the defending champion, has a wildcard spot. Sachin Yadav, Yash Vir Singh, and Rohit Yadav also made the team.
Three other athletes qualified by meeting entry standards. They are Gulveer Singh (5000m), Praveen Chithravel (triple jump), and Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase). Gulveer and Pooja will compete in two events each. Gulveer will run the 10,000m race, while Pooja will run the 800m and 1500m.
Some athletes who had qualified will not compete. Avinash Sable, Nandini Agasara, and Akshdeep Singh were all deemed medically unfit. Sable's season ended due to a knee injury he suffered at the Monaco Diamond League.
A pre-competition training camp will take place in Tokyo from September 4 to 9. The team will then move to the official hotel for the championships. Chopra will arrive from Czechia and join the camp on September 5. The other javelin throwers will arrive on September 9.
