More Indians have qualified in individual events for World Championships than last edition: Sumariwalla
No Indian athlete could achieve the entry standard for next month’s World Championships at the 64th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, as the domestic meet, which was the final opportunity for direct qualification to Tokyo, concluded in Chennai on Sunday.
Before the competition, Neeraj Chopra (defending men’s javelin throw champion), Parul Chaudhary (women’s 3000m steeplechase), Gulveer Singh (men’s 5000m), Praveen Chithravel (men’s triple jump) and Avinash Sable (men’s 3000m steeplechase) had already booked their spots for the showpiece event, set to be held in the Japanese capital from September 13 to 21.
Sable is, however, unlikely to compete at worlds due to an anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injury on his right knee, for which he had to undergo surgery last month.
The rest of the qualified Indian athletes will be revealed once the final World Rankings list is released on Wednesday.
Adille Sumariwalla, former president of the Athletics Federation of India, gave an idea about the potential size of the Indian squad on the sidelines of the domestic meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
“We are going to have nearly 20 qualifications,” said the 67-year-old Sumariwalla.
The Indian contingent had 27 athletes, including six members of the 4x400m men’s relay team, at the previous edition in 2023 in Budapest, with Neeraj’s gold being the sole medal.
“More people have qualified in individual events this time. They will travel to Tokyo at different times in different batches. It has already been planned by the coaches,” he said.
Sumariwalla also addressed Jamaican coach Jason Dawson’s complaint about the interference of Indian coaches in his men’s 4x400m relay programme. “This has been a topic of discussion for a long time. I don’t want to get into the details, but there are issues and we are resolving them,” said Sumariwalla, who is also one of the vice presidents of World Athletics.
Published on Aug 24, 2025