Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable to miss National Inter-State Championships
From 15 to 19 June, the National Inter-State Championships will be held in Bhubaneswar, and all of the best track and field competitors will be in action, with the exception of Commonwealth Games silver medalist 3000 steeplechaser Avinash Sable and Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India, said that Sable and Chopra have both been granted exemptions from the competition that would also act as a selection trial for the 2019 Asian Games. "Yes, except for Neeraj and Sable, all others training and competing abroad will have to take part in the National Inter-State in Bhubaneswar," Sumariwalla told PTI.
Currently residing in Turkey, Chopra is recuperating from a muscular strain he sustained while exercise. He was scheduled to compete in the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games on June 4 in Hengelo, Netherlands, but he withdrew due to injury.
Sable participated in the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco, last month while he is presently training at high altitude in Colorado Springs in the United States. Prior to the World Championships (August 19–27 in Budapest, Hungary), he will train in Switzerland. Chopra and Sable have already met the requirements to compete in the World Championships.
Top Indian athletes like long jumpers Murali Sreeshankar and Jeswin Aldrin, triple jumper Praveen Chitravel, javelin thrower Annu Rani, sprinter Amlan Borgohain, 100-meter hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, and long distance runners Parul Chaudhary and Sanjivani Jadhav are currently training and competing abroad, primarily in Europe and the US.
All athletes must compete in the National Inter-State Championships in order to be considered for selection to the Indian squad for the Asian Games, according to a circular issued by the AFI earlier this year.
"Due to specified reasons, AFI may exempt selected elite athletes (upon request by the athlete or the chief coach) from participation in Inter-State (championships) 2023," the AFI had said. "This will be done based on the advice of AFI experts/coaches/selection committee. Such athletes will be eligible for selection in the Indian team subject to the final decision of the AFI Selection Committee."
(With PTI inputs)