Fed Cup Athletics Competition in Ranchi in May to be final selection event for 2026 CWG

Since limited number of track and field events will feature at the Glasgow edition of the Commonwealth Games, accordingly AFI will select the team from amongst those who achieve the qualification mark in their respective events in May. Going by the entry standards, top Indian athletes like mens 110m national record hurdler Tejas Shirse and womens 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji will find it tough to breach the qualifying standards.

The National Senior Federation Competition scheduled to be held in Ranchi from May 22 to 25 will serve as the final selection event for the country's track and field athletes for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games starting July 23. Announcing the 2026 CWG qualification standards for track and field here on Monday, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said a limited number of athletes will compete in the scale-down Games in Glasgow. ''As per protocol of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee the number of athletics team can't exceed 32, including 16 female athletes,'' AFI senior vice-president Anju Bobby George said at a press conference here. ''Since limited number of track and field events will feature at the Glasgow edition of the Commonwealth Games, accordingly AFI will select the team from amongst those who achieve the qualification mark in their respective events in May.'' Going by the entry standards, top Indian athletes like men's 110m national record hurdler Tejas Shirse and women's 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji will find it tough to breach the qualifying standards. The qualifying standard for the men's 110m hurdles has been kept at 13.39 seconds while Shirse's national record stands at 13.41 seconds. Likewise, the qualifying standard for the women's 100m hurdles has been kept at 12.67 seconds while Yarraji's national record stands at 12.78 seconds. Yarraji, who has started training after undergoing an ACL surgery last year, represented India in the 2022 CWG and failed to progress beyond the heat stage. Animesh Kujur will also have to better his 100m national record time of 10.18 seconds if he has to make it to the Glasgow team as the qualifying time has been set at 10.16 seconds. Interestingly, the AFI has also not given the qualifying standard for the men's 4x400m relay, in which event India took part in the 2022 CWG. Instead, the 4x400m mixed relay qualifying standard of 3:16.00 seconds has been set. National athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair expressed hope that star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete in both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2026. Chopra did not compete in the 2022 CWG due to an injury. ''Neeraj is currently training in Potchefstroom in South Africa with Jaiveer (Jaiveer Singh Chaudhary). We are hoping that he will take part in the 2026 CWG as well as Asian Games,'' Nair said. Chaudhary is Chopra's coach of his formative years and both are currently in Potchefstroom in South Africa for a 32-day stint till February 5. Chopra recently parted ways with Czech legend Jan Zelezny as his coach. At the 2022 CWG, India had sent 37 athletes and won eight medals, including a gold in men's triple jump through Eldhose Paul. India's star 3000m steeplechase runner Avinash Sable clinched a silver. The National Senior Athletics Federation Competition in Ranchi will also act as a qualification event for the 2026 Asian U23 Athletics Championships. The Asian Games in September is the major competition of the packed 2026 calendar. The AFI will also send the national team to World Relays in May in Botswana, Anju said. ''The selection trials for the World Relays will be held during the third National Open Relay Competition on March 28 in Chandigarh,'' Anju added. ''Foreign teams are also expected to compete in Chandigarh.'' According to the AFI senior vice-president, the National Inter-State Senior Championships scheduled to be held from June 24 to 28 in Bhubaneswar, will be the final selection event for Asian Games in September. ''The main focus of this year will be the Asian Games in Japan.'' The Indian team won 29 medals, including six gold, in track and field events at the 2022 edition of the continental Games in Hangzhou, China. The AFI has already announced guidelines to compete at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition and the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships. During the meeting of the AFI in Thiruvananthapuram, the 2026 domestic calendar was also revised.

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