Neeraj Chopra to skip Asian Athletics Championships as India name 59-member squad

India on Friday named a 59-member team for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championship in South Korea with star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra expectedly skipping the event, with almost all those who had excelled in the just-concluded Federation Cup in Kochi making the cut.

Double Olympic medallist Chopra missing the event was on expected lines as his focus this season will be on the Diamond League Meetings and the World Championships in September, besides the NC Classic which he is hosting in Bengaluru on May 24.

Chopra has not competed in the continental showpiece since the 2017 edition in Bhubaneswar where he won a gold. Since then, his focus has remained on the DL Meetings, World Championships and Olympics.

National record holder shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who had won gold in the last edition of the continental championships, was omitted from the squad after he finished a disappointing second in the Federation Cup.

Pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena also missed the bus despite re-writing his own national record as his effort was below the Asian Championships qualification mark set by the Athletics Federation of India.

INDIA SQUAD FOR ASIAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP

Men: Animesh Kujur (200m), Anu Kumar and Krishan Kumar (800m), Yoonus Shah (1500m),



Avinash Sable (3000m steeplechase), Gulveer Singh and Abhishek Pal (5000m), Gulveer Singh and Sawan Barwal (10,000m), Praveen Chithravel and Abudlla Aboobacker (triple jump), Sarvesh Kushare (high jump), Sachin Yadav and Yasvir Singh (javelin throw), Samardeep Singh (shot put), Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), Servin Sebastian and Amit (20km race walk).

4x100m relay: Pranav Pramod Gurav, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidar, Amlan Borgohain, Tamilarasu S, Ragul Kumar G, Gurvindervir Singh.

4x400m relay: Vishal TK, Jay Kumar, Manu TS, Rince Joseph, Tushar Manna, Santhosh Kumar, Dharamveer Choudhary, Mohit Kumar.

Women: Nithya Gandhe (200m), Rupal Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj (400m), Twinkle Chaudhary and Pooja (800m), Lili Das and Pooja (1500m), Parul Chaudhary and Ankita (3000m steeplechase), Sanjivani Jadav and Parul Chaudhary (5000m), Sanjivani Jadhav and Seema (10,000m), Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), R Vithya Ramraj and Anu R (400m), Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan (long jump), Pooja (high jump), Seema (discus throw), Annu Rani (javelin throw), Agsara Nandini (heptathlon).

4x100m relay: Nithya Gandhe, Abinaya Rajarajan, Sneha SS, Srabani Nanda, Daneshwari AT, V Sudheeksha.

4x400m relay: Rupal Chaudhary, Sneha K, Subha Venkatesan, Jisna Mathew, Kunja Rajitha, Sarndramol Sabu.