BHUBANESWAR: There is quite a sprinkling of stars at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships that will begin at the Kalinga Stadium from Wednesday. The nationals assumes significance after the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced it as a qualifying event for the Asian Games to be hosted in Japan in September-October.
Long jump star Murali Sreeshankar, former national record holder in 100m and current NR holder in 200m Animesh Kujur, quarter miler Vishal TK, shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor would be among the star cast. Yet to hit his best form, Tajinder had won gold at the last Asian Games and could be one of the favourites to win a medal this time as well. Giving Sreeshankar competition would be national record holder Jeswin Aldrin, who is yet to cross the 8-m mark in the last three years.
Javelin thrower Annu Rani too will be part of the competition. In the men’s side of the event, the field is quite thin. Kishore Jenna who is struggling to clear 80m, is in the start-list. Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh who qualified for the Commonwealth Games, too will be competing. Double Olympic and world championships medallist Neeraj Chopra has been exempted from participating at the nationals. So was Tejaswin Shankar in decathlon. This was confirmed by planning commission chief Lalit Bhanot. National record holder in 100m Gurindervir Singh too opted out to focus on Commonwealth Games.
All eyes will be on local boy Kujur when he scorched the newly-laid tracks. “Kaliga Stadium is one of my favourite grounds, at present I am doing well already qualified for the Commonwealth Games, I am eyeing to get back the fastest man of India tag in my name again here,” he said during the press conference. Asian Games qualification time for men's 100m is 10.16s. National record stands at 10.09s. Another local favourite Srabani Nanda who won gold at Asian Relays would be competing in only one competition – 200m. “I have reached Bhubaneswar today after winning the gold at the Asian Relays Championships at Chinese City so I will participate in the 200m event.”
Bhanot also said that the Asian Games team will be announced on the last day of the competition on June 28.