Asian Games tickets up for grabs at National Inter-State Athletics C'ships

BHUBANESWAR: Star long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, sprinter Animesh Kujur and quarter-miler Vishal TK would be among a host of track and field stars who would be vying for a spot in India's Asian Games squad by attaining the requisite marks at the National Inter-State Championships beginning here on Wednesday.

Seasoned shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and star 3000m steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary -- both gold medallists at the 2022 Asian Games -- would also be in action during the five-day meet.

Another Asian Games gold medallist, javelin thrower Annu Rani is also participating in the championships, though she has been struggling of late. Young high jumper Pooja Singh is also among the ones to watch out for at the meet.

The championship, being held at the Kalinga Stadium after a gap of three years, is the only selection trial for the Asian Games in Japan in September-October, according to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra, who began his season in the Doha Diamond League last week, has been exempted from taking part in the championship as he continues to work on achieving top fitness.

Another top javelin thrower, Sachin Yadav, who finished fourth in the 2025 World Championships, is not in the field, apparently due to an injury.

Other stars missing the championships include sprinter Gurindervir Singh, who recently smashed the 100m national record with a sensational run of 10.09 seconds and Commonwealth Games medal-winning 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable.

Gurindervir has opted out to focus on the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Sable is not fully fit after he underwent an ACL surgery last year.

In the absence of Gurindervir, the fight for the fastest man of the championships could be among Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, and Lalu Prasad Bhoi, among others.

Kujur is also competing in the men's 200m event in which he holds the national record.

Women's 100m hurdle national record holder Jyothi Yarraji, who like Sable also underwent an ACL surgery last year, is fit now and she will hope to hit form and breach the Asian Games qualifying mark of 13.34 seconds in her season-opening event.

The 2018 Asian Games medallist quarter-miler Hima Das is also skipping the championships, along with decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, who rewrote his own national record at the Federation Cup last month.

The men's long jump and javelin throw, as well as the men's and women's 400m races are expected to be highly competitive events.

Jeswin Aldrin holds the long jump national record of 8.42m since 2023 but he has not crossed 8m mark for the last three year.

The injury-prone 24-year-old jumped 7.73m at the Federation Cup last month and he would be hoping to improve his performance here.

Sreeshankar has put behind the disappointment of finishing a poor 14th in the 2025 World Championships and he has been in top form this season, hitting 8m-plus jumps in all the four events so far, including a gold-winning show of 8.08m in the Federation Cup.

The other three long jumpers who have crossed 8m mark are 18-year-old Shahnavaz Khan (8.23m), David P Solomon (8.22m) and Lokesh Sathyanathan (8.21m).

National record holder Vishal TK leads a strong field in the men's 400m, while the women's contest will also see a mix of experienced and young runners.

Another national record holder Gulveer Singh has entered his name only in 5000m while Parul is also running in 1500m.

Flaboyant middle distance runner Harmilan Bains, who won a silver each in 800m and 1500m in the 2022 Asian Games, is vying for another shot at continental glory as she returns to action this year after looking for other careers in 2025.

SRY Gene Test

Meanwhile, the AFI has asked all female athletes participating in the National Inter-State Championships to carry their original passports along with them for the mandatory SRY Gene testing.

The test, which was introduced in a domestic events during the Federation Cup in Ranchi last month, is primarily used to identify the presence or absence of the SRY gene, which plays a crucial role in male sex determination during fetal development.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said in a recent circular that with effect from next year, no athlete shall be eligible to participate in any competition organised by the national federation without undergoing the SRY Gene Test.

The test must be done only at the laboratory accredited and authorised by AFI. The female athletes are expected to submit their test reports to the AFI.