Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023: Olympian Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Jyothi Yarraji to lead India - full squad

Asian Games shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor and star hurdler Jyothi Yarraji will lead a 26-member Indian contingent at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023, which will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from February 10 to 12.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor won a silver medal at the previous edition of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held in Tehran in 2018 and will look to upgrade the colour of his medal this time around.

Toor, who holds the national record in men’s shot put, missed the Commonwealth Games and World Championships last year due to a groin injury. However, the Tokyo 2020 Olympian hurled an impressive 20.68m throw at the National Open Athletics Championship 2022 to clinch a gold medal.

"The selection of these athletes was based on their performances at the 36th National Games and National Open Athletics Championship 2022," Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla said while announcing the squad.

Jyothi Yarraji, a national record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, will compete in the 60m hurdles and also the 60m sprint. She won the gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the National Open Athletics Championship and beat the likes of Dutee Chand and Hima Das in the 100m sprint at National Games 2022.

Overall, the Indian contingent comprises 13 male and as many female athletes. Amlan Borgohain, who holds India’s national records in 100m and 200m races, will compete in the men's 60m sprint.

In long jump events, Shaili Singh, a World U20 Championships silver medallist, and Nayana James, who won silver at the previous Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, will be India’s top medal prospects.

Jeswin Aldrin and Muhammed Anees Yahiya will be seen competing in the men's long jump event.

Swapna Barman, who won the gold medal in heptathlon at Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta, will compete in the pentathlon event. Men’s triple jumper Praveen Chithravel is the other notable name who will be competing in Astana.

The Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Astana will be the 10th edition of the tournament. The biennial event, organised by Asian Athletics Association, was cancelled in 2020 while last year’s event was pushed forward due to COVID-19.

At the previous edition held in Tehran in 2018, India bagged four silver medals and two bronze.

India’s squad for Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023

Women

Jyothi Yarraji (60m and 60m hurdles), Archana Suseentran (60m), Sapna Kumari (60m hurdles), Abhinaya Shetty (high jump), Rosy Meena Paulraj (pole vault), Pavithra Venkatesh (pole vault), Nayana James (long jump), Shaili Singh (long jump), Sheena NV (triple jump), Poorva Hitesh Sawant (triple jump), Abha Khatua (shot put), Swapna Barman (pentathlon), Sowmiya Murugan (pentathlon).

Men

Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Karanveer Singh (shot put), Praveen Chithravel (triple jump), Arun AB (triple jump), Jeswin Aldrin (long jump), Muhammed Anees Yahiya (long jump), Siva Subramaniam (pole vault), Prashant Singh Kanahiya (pole vault), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (high jump), Aromal T (high jump), Tejas Shirse (60m hurdles), Elakiya Dasan  (60m), Amlan Borgohain (60m)