The Indian Athletics Federation said on Thursday that the country's 28-strong track and field squad, which will include 11 female competitors, will compete in the Olympics in Paris. The competitors who have automatically qualified for the Olympics in Paris were listed by World Athletics on Tuesday, along with their rankings.
The competitors who have automatically qualified for the Olympics in Paris were listed by World Athletics on Tuesday, along with their rankings. Parul Chaudhary, the gold medallist from the Asian Games, is the first track and field athlete from India to have qualified for two events at the Olympics in Paris. In order to earn a spot in the Olympics, Parul broke the national record in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Her world ranking will also see her start the women's 5000m race. Shot putter Abha Khatua unexpectedly broke through the world ranks, and Jyothi Yarraji is expected to be the first Indian competitor in the 100m hurdles.
Given that M Sreeshankar, who met the Olympic qualifying criterion based on his entrance standard, was unable to compete because of a knee ailment, there's a possibility that his fellow countryman Jeswin Aldrin may get his Olympic seat if the next-best athlete determined by world rankings takes his place. But choosing from those who qualified based on the world ranking quota will be left to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). By midnight on July 4, the National Olympic Committees must notify Western Australia of their decision to reject a quota. The competitor with the next highest ranking in the same event will receive the spots from WA that were denied during the July 4–6 timeframe. On July 7, it will then release the final list.
Women's 400-meter sprinter Kiran Pahal; women's 3000-meter steeplechase and 5000-meter sprinter Parul Chaudhary; Women's 100-meter hurdles Jyothi Yarraji; women's shot putter Abha Khatua; women's javelin thrower Annu Rani; women's 20-kilometer race walker Priyanka Goswami; women's 4x400-meter relay team; Avinash Sable—male steeplechaser—3000 meters; Men's long jump: M Sreeshankar; men's triple jump: Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker; men's high jump: Sarvesh Kushare; Men's shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor; men's javelin throw competitors Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, and DP Manu; men's 20km race walk competitors Akshdeep, Ram Baboo, and Vikash Singh; men's 4x400m relay team; Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay; Owing to a knee ailment, M Sreeshankar will not be participating in the Olympics. Jeswin Aldrin will be eligible if the next-best athlete based on the World Ranking is included in the replacement requirements.
