By Shivani P Menon
India has announced a 19-member contingent for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, beginning September 13, with Olympic double medallist and reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra leading the side. Alongside him, three rising javelin talents — Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and Rohit Yadav — have also secured their spots.
Chopra enters the event after a steady season, highlighted by a 90m-plus throw in Doha and a runner-up finish at the Diamond League final in Zurich with 85.01m. Though slightly below his usual standards, officials remain confident. According to Athletics Federation of India (AFI) spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla, Chopra has acknowledged minor timing issues in his technique and has adjusted his approach. Once his rhythm settles, the federation expects him to return to peak form at the Championships.
After the withdrawal of stronger contenders higher in the world rankings, Rohit, who was not initially in the 36-athlete group to take part in the men’s javelin throw competition in Tokyo, was invited by World Athletics.
2023 Asian Games women’s champion Annu Rani is among the five women in the team, along with the 14 men. Rani had two titles in August: the Open nationals in Chennai and the Continental Tour Bronze in Bhubaneswar.
Four Indians had made it in the last edition in 2023 as well, but Rohit had to withdraw due to an injury. Chopra won gold in Budapest, Hungary, in 2023, and three Indians reached the men’s javelin final—a record achievement—while Kishore Jena and DP Manu were fifth and sixth, respectively.
Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, who returned after knee surgery, failed the 8.27m entry mark but qualified on world ranking with a best of 8.13m this season and is still a medal contender in Tokyo. National record holder Gulveer Singh (5,000m and 10,000m), Parul Chaudhary (3,000m steeplechase), and Praveen Chithravel (triple jump) qualified by achieving the entry marks, while Pooja will double in the 800m/1,500m. Sprinter Animesh Kujur will make his debut in the 200m, ranked 41 out of 48. National champion Tejas Shirse (110m hurdles), Sandeep Kumar (35km race walk) and Rohit earned their spots through the World Athletics quota. AFI announced that Chopra is coming in as defending champion, and Sachin, Yashvir and Rohit qualified on world rankings.
The Indian team will arrive in Tokyo next week to settle in ahead of the championships
For the first time, four Indians will be competing in a World Championships event. Being a defending champion enabled Chopra to compete as a wild card in the World Championships and subsequently enabled three more Indians to compete.