new delhi: The senior selection committee of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) met on Thursday but pushed the team announcement for next month’s World Championships to Saturday as it awaits clarity on athletes in borderline cases who could end up making the cut.
A few Indians like javelin thrower Rohit Yadav and 35km race walker Sandeep Kumar are just one spot down the bracket of qualified athletes, and they will make the grade for the Tokyo event if any one above them pulls out due to injury or other reasons.
All the member countries will intimate World Athletics by Friday about any of their athletes being pulled out due to various reasons. After that the confirmed athletes will be known and World Athletics will intimate the member countries. “We will announce the team on August 30. More confirmation has to come from World Athletics by then,” a top AFI official said.
Meanwhile, 19 Indians, led by star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, have qualified for the September 13-21 Worlds in Tokyo either through direct entry or world rankings, with long jumper Murali Sreeshankar making the cut at the last minute.