The 30-member Indian athletics team for the Olympics will train at The Olympic Sports Center in Spala (Poland), Antalya in Turkey, and St Moritz in Switzerland.
Indian men’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. (Photo: AFP)
New Delhi: The Indian athletics contingent bound for the Paris Olympics is scheduled to train at three overseas training facilities in what will be the final preparations ahead of the marquee event. On July 4, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) named a 28-member squad for track and field events for the Paris Games.
Earlier this week, long jumper Jeswin Aldrin (33) and 5000m runner Ankita Dhyani (42) were added to the squad after both made the cut through the world rankings after multiple withdrawals from the initial list.
The 30-member Indian athletics team for the Olympics will train at The Olympic Sports Center in Spala (Poland), Antalya in Turkey, and St Moritz in Switzerland. These will be the three foreign venues where Indian athletes will give a last shot for preparations before they reach the French capital on July 28, which is just four days before the start of track and field events.
“The members of the national athletics team will be training at different venues to prepare for the Olympic Games, but will have to assemble in Paris on July 28,” chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair told news agency PTI.
The coach confirmed that Olympic and World champion Neeraj Chopra has already made it to Turkey.
“He (Chopra) has already reached Turkey and will reach Paris on July 28,” Nair said.
Athletes who will train in Switzerland and Poland
Long distance runners Avinash Sable, who broke his own national record in 3000m steeplechase, and Parul Chaudhary will train in St Moritz in Switzerland, while some athletes have reached Poland this week.
“Sable and Parul will join the group of athletes in Poland on July 24 and then go to Paris,” Nair said.
“Four athletes — Kishore Kumar Jena (javelin), Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Jeswin Aldrin (long jump) and Praveen Chithravel (triple jump) — reached Poland earlier this week.
“Annu Rani (javelin), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put) and Abha Khatua (shot put) will also leave for Poland on Thursday,” the chief coach added.
All the members of the 4x400m relay team (men and women) will leave for Poland on Thursday.
Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in men’s javelin was India’s first medal in any kind of track and field discipline.
India’s Track and Field squad for Paris Olympics 2024
Men’s Team: Avinash Sable (3,000m steeplechase), Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Kumar Jena (javelin throw), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Praveen Chithravel, Abulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Sarvesh Kushare (high jump), Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bisht (20km race walk), Muhammed Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, Santhosh Tamilarasan, Rajesh Ramesh, Mijo Chacko Kurian (4x400m relay), Suraj Panwar (race walk mixed marathon), Jeswin Aldrin (long jump)
Women’s Team: Kiran Pahal (400m), Parul Chaudhary (3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m). Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Annu Rani (javelin throw), Abha Khatua (shot put), Jyothika Sri Dandi, Subha Venkatesan, Vithya Ramraj, Poovamma MR, Prachi (4x400m relay), Priyanka Goswami (20km race walk/ race walk mixed marathon), Ankita Dhyani (5000m).
(With inputs from PTI).
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