Page 4 - Athletics

Asian Games Day 6 Highlights: Historic shot put medal push IND tally to 33

Asian Games Highlights Day 6: India shooters Palak and Esha Singh won Gold and Silver in 10m air pistol women's individual event. India's medal count swells to 33 with 8 Gold, 12 Silver and 13 Bronze

Asian Games 2023: Neeraj Chopra-led India set to begin athletics campaign

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be the cynosure of all eyes as India begins it athletics campaign in the Asian Games here on Friday, targeting to surpass last edition's 20 medals. Chopra will lead a 65-strong team, with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) hoping to win at least 25 medals. Three athletes from the original 68, the largest in the Indian contingent, were left out due to injuries. As usual, athletics is likely to account for the the lion's share of India's total medal count. In the 2018 Asian Games, athletics had contributed 20 medals (8 gold, 9 silver, 3 bronze) out of India's total of 70. "The target is minimum 25 medals. Anything more is a bonus," an AFI official said. It may, however, be difficult to match the eight gold the country had won in the 2018 Asian Games. Chopra, shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable, the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams are strong gold medal contenders. Toor and the men's 4x400

Asiad 2023: Avinash Sable hopes to put behind World C'ship disappointment

Commonwealth Games silver medallist 3000m steeplechase runner Avinash Sable hopes to get over the World Championships disappointment and set a new national record en route to a gold medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. By his own admission, Sable is not satisfied with the season so far, which includes a disappointing seventh-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase heat at the World Championships in Budapest last month, thereby failing to qualify for the final. But come the Asian Games, Sable feels he is in a good frame of mind to register his best result of the season. "The Asian Games will be my season's last race. This year I didn't run any race for national record but I hope to clock my best timing in Hangzhou. I will be running for timing in Asian Games. The training I had, I hope to record my personal best and win the race," the long-distance runner said in a virtual media interaction. In Hangzhou, besides 3000m steeplechase, his pet event, Sable will also compete in 50

Asiad 2023: Top five medal winners for India at the continental event

In a list dominated by athletes, tennis legend Leander Paes steals the show with his five gold medals across four Asian Games to become India's top medal winner in the history of the continental event

Asiad 2023: India's athletics contingent, full schedule, streaming in India

At 68, the Indian athletics contingent for Hangzhou 2023 is the largest the nation has ever seen. Athletics has been the happy hunting ground for Indians at the Asian Games

Neeraj Chopra fails to defend his Diamond League title, finishes second

Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic became the Diamond League champion for the third time with a best throw of 84.24m in his sixth and final attempt

Diamond League final: Neeraj Chopra live javelin throw time streaming today

Neeraj Chopra will be in action in the javelin throw event in the 2023 Diamond League final on September 17, according to Indian Standard Time. But according to Europe time, it is on September 16.

Borgohain among 3 players addedd by AFI to Indian team for Hangzhou 2023

Haryana's 3000m steeplechaser Priti Lamba was on Monday added to the Indian athletics team for the Hangzhou Asian Games along with top sprinter Amlan Borgohain and quartermiler Prachi, after the conclusion of the Indian Grand Prix 5 here. The 27-year-old Lamba won the 3000m steeplechase on the final day of the IGP 5. She breached the Asian Games qualifying time of 9 minute 47 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), by clocking 9:45.13 in a two-woman field. She had finished second at the National Inter-State Championships behind Parul Chaudhary with a time of 9:52.89, and improved it to 9:48.50 while finishing fourth at the Asian Championships in July. Uttar Pradesh's Prachi got the approval of AFI selection committee to compete in the women's 4x400m relay, while Borgohain will compete in the men's 200m. The sports ministry has already announced a 65-member athletics team for the Asian Games last month. Monday's inclusion of three athletes will make it a 68-member ...

Vithya Ramraj misses PT Usha's record in 400mh by 1/100th of a second

Tamil Nadu's Asian Games-bound R Vithya Ramraj came agonisingly close to breaking the legendary PT Usha's 39-year-old women's 400m hurdles record as she clocked 55.43 seconds during the Indian Grand Prix 5 here on Monday. The 24-year-old Vithya's time was just one hundredth of a second less than Usha's 55.42 which she had clocked while finishing fourth in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It's the second longest standing national record. Usha is currently serving as the president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

AFI looking to add 15 more athletes to its already announced 65-member team

Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is hoping to add 15 more track and field athletes to the 65 already named for the Hangzhou Asian Games if they achieve the qualification criteria during the two-day Indian Grand Prix beginning here on Sunday. Around half of the athletes named in the Asian Games-bound team have made their entries in the event, though some top athletes and those training abroad will not be seen in action. "The Indian contingent will be bigger and stronger this time. We have shortlisted 65 athletes and there are chances to add another 15 athletes depending whether they achieve the qualification criteria set by the AFI during the two-day IGP," Sumariwalla said here. Those who have made it to the Asian Games and also entered their names here include javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena, shot putter Sahib Singh, Jinson Johnson (1500m), Mohammed Afsal (800m), Yashas Palaksha (400m hurdles), Jesse Sandesh (high jump), quarter-milers Arokia Rajiv, Rajesh Ramesh, Nihal Joel .

Sreeshankar pulls out of Diamond League Final, to focus on Asiad 2023

Star Indian long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has pulled out of the prestigious Diamond League Final in USA later this month to focus on the Hangzhou Asian Games beginning on September 23. Sreeshankar made the decision after taking into account that he would need a lot of travel if he has to take part in the September 17 DL Final in Eugene, which may have an impact on his body and disrupt training. "Sreeshankar is not taking part in the DL Final in Eugene to focus on the Asian Games. Taking part in the DL Final will involve a lot of travel, jet lag etc," Sreeshankar's father S Murali told PTI. Despite finishing fifth in the Zurich leg of the Diamond League on August 31 with a jump of 7.99m, Sreeshankar qualified for the DL Finals in third place on the standings with 14 points. Sreeshankar, who has a season's and personal best of 8.41m, had failed to qualify for the finals in the World Championships in Budapest last month. The 24-year-old had won a silver medal with a jump of 8.37m in

Hima Das provisionally suspended by NADA for three whereabout failures

Star India sprinter Hima Das has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for three whereabout failures in 12 months, according to sources. The 23-year-old Assam runner has not been named in the Hangzhou Asian Games team due to an injury she had sustained earlier this year. "Yes, she has committed three whereabout failures in one year period and so she has been provisionally suspended by the NADA," an Indian team official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. Hima, who has already left the national camp, faces a maximum two-year ban, which can be reduced to a minimum of one year depending on the degree of her fault. Hima had won a 400m individual silver at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. She was also a part of the gold and silver winning women's 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay quartets in Jakarta. Under the World Athletics Anti-Doping (WADA) rules, any combination of three whereabouts failures -- filing failure and/or missed test -- within a period of 12 .

Sable 5th in Xiamen, becomes third Indian to enter Diamond League final

India's Avinash Sable finished a creditable fifth in the men's 3000m steeplechase event of the Xiamen leg Diamond League Meeting on Saturday to qualify for the grand finale in Eugene, USA later this month. The 28-year-old Sable, who had failed to qualify for the final round in the World Championships in Hungary last month, clocked 8 minutes 16.27 seconds, well below his season's best of 8:11.63 and national record time of 8:11.20. Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco won the race with a time of 8:10.31, while Samuel Firewu (8:11.29) of Ethiopia and Amos Serem (8:14.41) of Kenya were second and third respectively. Sable, the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, collected four points from the race for a total of 11 points from four events this season. He qualified for the September 16 Diamond League finals in Eugene, USA, at sixth place. This will be his maiden Diamond League final appearance. He will join Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj ..

Neeraj Chopra's preparatory camp in Switzerland gets ministry approval

Reigning Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra's preparatory camp in Switzerland on Friday got the nod from the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), which also announced other approvals. Chopra will undergo a 12-day training camp in Magglingen, Switzerland ahead of the Diamond League final to be organised in Eugene, USA, later this month. A total of INR 5.89 lakh have been sanctioned for the camp to be held from September 1-12, a release said. Chopra finished second in the Diamond League event in Zurich on Thursday after recording his best throw of 85.71m. Parul Chaudhary, who recorded a national record time of 9:15.31s in the women's 3000m steeplechase event in Budapest and sealed a Paris Olympics quota, has been included in the TOPS Core Group. Ace table tennis player Sharath Kamal received a financial sanction to participate in various events, procure equipment and hire a personal coach in Chris Pfeiffer till the Paris Olympics next year. The star Indian badminton pair of Satwiksair

I was competing with myself, not with Neeraj Chopra: Arshad Nadeem

Pakistan's World Championships silver medallist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem does not consider Indian gold winner Neeraj Chopra as his main rival, saying he competes with himself. Nadeem on Sunday became the first athlete from Pakistan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, while Olympic champion Chopra won the gold. Asked if Chopra was his main rival in the World Championships, Nadeem said, "No. I myself is the only competitor to Arshad Nadeem. I did not think I was competing to win against anybody." Chopra won gold with a throw of 88.17m while reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nadeem took the silver with his season's best throw of 87.82m. Nadeem said he was happy at Chopra winning the gold. "At the world level, two Asians finished first and second. Neeraj bhai won the gold medal and I am very happy. Sometimes he will win the gold, sometimes I will," Nadeem was quoted as saying by 'BBC'. "I went to Guwahati in India for South-Asian Ga

Roger Federer in attendance during Neeraj Chopra's event in Diamond League

Federer, his wife Mirka, and one of their daughters were among the 25,000 crowds watching what one called a 'mini Olympics' - the one-day spectacle of Diamond League.

Zurich Diamond League Highlights: Neeraj Chopra finishes 2nd; Yakub at top

Neeraj Chopra remains at the third spot in Diamond League standings with total points of 23 behind Czech's Yakub Vadlejch (29) and Germany's Julian Weber (25)

India set to bid for 2027 World Athletics Championships: Neeraj Chopra

India will be bidding for the 2027 World Athletics Championships, claims Olympic and World Championship gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra here on Wednesday. Asked during a press conference on the eve of the Diamond League meet about India's possibility of hosting the World Championships in 2027, Chopra said: "They (India) are bidding. I will request them (fans), and hopefully, they will come in great capacity)." "Now, javelin (throw) is famous in India. I have always said in Indian interviews that we need to understand athletics and be knowledgeable about it because athletics is not only javelin throw. There are so many events involved (in athletics). So, if they don't come, I will push them (to come). "The Indian people are so supportive, and they are now following athletics and taking interest in athletics. Three javelin throwers from India have finished in best six in Budapest (recently-concluded World Championships)." According to people in the know how of developmen

Here's how Neeraj Chopra achieved best fitness ahead of historic feat

No Sugar, no cold drinks and a lot of Gymnastics were Neeraj Chopra's go-to mantra apart from medications to come back from injury. It required mental strength more than physical for Chopra to recover

'Wanted to throw more than 90m but..': Neeraj Chopra on World Athletics win

After the second round, I considered pushing myself because I knew I could get a better throw, but there is a lot of pressure on technique and speed, says Neeraj Chopra