Asian Athletics C'ships: Indian contingent eye a top-2 finish in Korea – Preview

A 59-member strong Indian contingent will aim to finish in the top-2 on the medal tally at the Asian Athletics Championships, scheduled for May 27 to 31 in Gumi, South Korea.

The star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will not be a part of the Indian contingent, but the likes of Avinash Sable, Gulveer Singh, and Parul Chaudhary will be competing for the continental glory.

The Indian team will face strong competition from the top Asian nations like Japan, China, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The biggest attraction of the event for India will be the men's javelin throw, where the Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem will be competing against rising star Sachin Yadav.

They will also get a strong competition from the two Sri Lankan Javelin throwers, Sumedha Ranasinghe and Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who have recently breached the 85m mark.

Potential Gold Medal Favorites

Avinash Sable: With Japan's Ryuji Miura absent, national record holder Avinash Sable is the top contender for the gold medal in the men’s steeplechase event.

Gulveer Singh: Long-distance runner Gulveer Singh, who is in top form this season, is favourite to secure gold in both the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m, holding the season’s best Asian times.

Parul Chaudhary: Defending champion Parul Chaudhary will also fight for the gold medal in the women’s steeplechase, though she may face stiff competition from Olympic champion Wilfred Yavi in the final.

Relay Teams: India’s 4x400m relay teams remain a key gold medal prospect at the continental event in Korea, despite challenges from the transition phase due to injuries among some Paris Olympics team members.

Other top athletes, including Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Praveen Chithravel (men’s triple jump), and long jumpers Ancy Sojan and Shaili Singh, can also fight for gold with their best performances.

Squad

Men: Servin Sebastian, Amit, Tejaswin Shankar, Sarvesh Kushare, Yoonus Shah, Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker, Gulveer Singh, Sawan Barwal, Vishal TK, Jay Kumar, Manu TS, Dharamveer Chaudhary, Rince Joseph, Tushar Kanti, Santosh Kumar, Mohit Kumar, Samardeep Singh, Avinash Sable, Sachin Yadav, Yash Vir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Pranav Pramod, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Amlan Borgohain, Tamilarasu, Ragul Kumar, Gurindervir Singh, Anu Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Abhishek Pal.

Women: Rupal Chaudhary, Vithya Ramraj, Annu Rani, Shaili Singh, Ancy Sojan, Jyothi Yarraji, Lili Das, Pooja, Sanjivani Baburao Jadhav, Seema, Sneha K, Subha Venkatesan, Jisna Mathew, Kunja Rajitha, Sandramol Sabu, Nithya Gandhe, Anu R, Pooja, Twinkle Chaudhary, Abhinaya Rajarajan, Sneha S, Srabani Nanda, Daneshwari, V Sudeeksha.

Schedule (All timings in IST)

27th May

4:30 AM - 20km Race Walk Men Final - Servin Sebastian, Amit

5:30 AM - Decathlon 1 (100m) - Tejaswin Shankar

5:45 AM - High Jump Men Qualification- Sarvesh Kushare

5:50 AM - 1500m Men Round 1- Yoonus Shah

6:10 AM - 400m Men Round 1 - Jay Kumar and Vishal TK

6:15 AM - Decathlon 2 (Long Jump) - Tejaswin Shankar

6:50 AM - 400m Women Round 1 - Rupal Chaudhary, Vithya Ramraj

8:05 AM - Decathlon 3 (Shot Put) - Tejaswin Shankar

11:05 AM - Decathlon 4 (High Jump) - Tejaswin Shankar

11:10 AM - Javelin Throw Women Final - Annu Rani

12:35 PM - 400m Women Semi-Final - Rupal Chaudhary, Vithya Ramraj

12:50 PM - 10,000m men Final - Gulveer Singh, Sawan Barwal

1:45 PM - Decathlon 5 (400m) - Tejaswin Shankar

28th May

6:30 AM - Decathlon 6 (100mH) - Tejaswin Shankar

6:35 AM - Long Jump Women Qualification - Shaili Singh, Ancy Sojan

7:15 AM - Decathlon 7 (Discus Throw) - Tejaswin Shankar

7:30 AM - 100m Hurdles Women Round 1 - Jyothi Yarraji

8:05 AM - Mixed 4*400m Relay Qualification

8:45 AM - Decathlon 8 (Pole Vault) - Tejaswin Shankar

1:30 PM - Decathlon 9 (Javelin Throw) - Tejaswin Shankar

1:50 PM - Triple jump men Final - Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker

2:20 PM - 400m women Final

2:30 PM - 1500m men Final

2:40 PM- 1500m women Final - Lili Das, Pooja

2:50 PM - 10,000m women Final - Sanjivani Baburao Jadhav, Seema

3:45 PM - Decathlon 10 (1500m men) Final

4:10 PM - 4x400m Mixed Relay Final

29th May

6:30 AM - Heptathlon 1 (100mH) - Nandini Agasara

7:25 AM - 4*400m Relay Women Round 1

7:30 AM - Heptathlon 2 (High Jump)

7:45 AM - 4*400m Relay Men Round 1

9:30 AM - Heptathlon 3 (Shot Put)

1:35 PM - Shot Mut Men Final - Samardeep Singh

2:00 PM - Long Jump Women Final

2:05 PM - 3000m SC Men Final - Avinash Sable

2:10 PM - High Jump Men Final

2:15 PM - Discus Throw Women Final - Seema

2:20 PM - 3000m SC Women Final - Parul Chaudhary, Ankita

2:55 PM - 100mH Women Final

3:10 PM - Heptathlon 4 (200m)

3:45 PM - 4x400m Relay Women Final

4:00 PM - 4x400m Relay Men Final

30th May

6:30 AM - Heptathlon 5 (Long Jump)

6:45 AM - Men's Javelin Throw Qualification - Sachin Yadav, Yash Vir Singh

7:40 AM - Men's 200m Round 1 - Animesh Kujur

8:20 AM - Women's 200m Round 1 - Nithya Gandhe

9:15 AM - Men's 4*100m Relay Round 1

1:30 PM - Heptathlon 6 (Javelin Throw)

1:45 PM - 400m Women Round 1 - Vithya Ramraj, Anu R

2:00 PM - High jump Women Final - Pooja

2:30 PM - 800m Women Round 1 - Twinkle Chaudhary, Pooja

2:50 PM - 800m Men Round 1 - Anu Kumar, Krishan Kumar

3:10 PM - 5000m Men Final - Gulveer Singh, Abhishek Pal

3:30 PM - 200m Men Semi-Final

3:50 PM - 200m Women Semi-final

4:20 PM - Heptathlon 7 (800m women) Final

31st May

1:40 PM - Javelin Throw Men Final

2:00 PM - 200m Men Final

2:10 PM - 200m Women Final

2:20 PM - 400mH Women Final

2:40 PM - 5000m Women Final - Sanjivani Baburao Jadhav, Parul Chaudhary

3:20 PM - 800m Women Final

3:40 PM - 800m Men Final

3:55 PM - 4x100m Relay Women Final

4:10 PM - 4x100m Relay Men Final

Live streaming

There is no official TV broadcast for the Asian Athletics Championships in India, but the live telecast will be available on the official YouTube channel of the Asian Athletics Federation.