CHENNAI: If doping led to embarrassing withdrawals in recent times, injuries are the latest bane in Indian sports. Days before the Asian Games in Nagoya, spate of withdrawals due to injuries and lack of form compounded matters. If a wushu player was dropped at the last moment, even after getting her kit, three from athletics were dropped because of injuries and one because of adverse findings. One top weightlifter, who was part of the Asian Games squad, too was dropped from the team.
Fitness has been one area Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been concentrating on after Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where athletes could not participate or performed below their potential because of injury. It is understood that SAI wanted fitness of athletes to be assessed before embarking on the Games journey.
C Rishikanta Singh, the lone male weightlifter withdrew from the Games citing sore knee. He apparently wrote to the Weightlifting Federation of India about his knee which was assessed by Asian Games’ chief medical officer Dinshaw Pardiwala after the Commonwealth Games. It is understood that the CWG silver medallist in the 60kg weight category has a sore left knee and has been advised at least 20 days of rehabilitation. Currently, he is doing rehabilitation in his home state Manipur. Now, the number of lifters at the Games is four instead of five. However, the number of officials accompanying the team is still four — three coaches and one physio.
Athletics Federation of India spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla confirmed to this daily that at least four athletes have been dropped because of injury or non performance. Last Asian Games gold medallist javelin thrower Annu Rani is one such casualty. “She has been dropped from the team because of non-performance and she has not attained the qualification mark,” Sumariwalla told this daily after the selection committee met on Friday. The woman javelin thrower had the season’s best on Thursday — 57.50m, which was below the Asian Games qualifying mark of 57.62m.
Sprinter Nithya Gandhe, who was part of the 79-member team, too has been dropped because of injury and non-performance. Shahnavaz Khan, who won bronze at the recently held U20 World Championships with a jump of 7.84m, has been dropped because of injury. Abhishek Pal, who had an adverse finding for a fertility drug, too have been dropped from the team. This will bring the number of athletes down to 75.
However, Jyothi Yarraji who has been carrying a niggle since the Bhubaneswar World Athletics Silver meet, has been cleared for the Games. Sumariwalla said that she has been assessed by Reliance and AFI doctors including Pardiwala and has been cleared. “They have said that she will be fit for the event,” he said. Sumariwalla said that this will not affect India’s performance at the Games and is expecting the same results like last year. Wushu player Divyanshi Chaudhary was replaced by Rushibina Devi due to shoulder injury.
As Games approach, India would be hoping there will be no more withdrawals.