Indian athletics team primed for best show at CWG after Delhi

NEW DELHI: The spotlight will be on Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra but the likes of Murali Sreeshankar and Avinash Sable are also strong medal contenders as the Indian athletics team eyes its best Commonwealth Games show away from home in the upcoming edition in Birmingham.

Woman javelin thrower Annu Rani and 38-year-old discus thrower Seema Antil, the most decorated Indian at the CWG with three silver and one bronze, could also finish on the podium, while India is expected to win more than one medal in men’s triple jump event.

With several world-class athletes emerging, especially after Chopra won a historic athletics gold in Tokyo Olympics last year, India would be looking for at least half a dozen medals in the July 28 to August 8 Games.

The country’s best athletics medal haul had come at the Delhi CWG in 2010 with 2 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze. That performance will surely be difficult to match but the Indians would be looking for their second best show ever.

The second best show from the Indian athletics contingent at the CWG till now has been the three-medal hauls (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze each) in the 2014 and 2018 editions.

With all the six finalists in the ongoing World Championships in Eugene, USA, heading to Birmingham where competition will be relatively easy, India would fancy its chances to win a handful of medals.

The country has so far won 28 medals (5 gold, 10 silver, 13 bronze) across editions since the legendary Milkha Singh claimed a gold in men’s 440 yards event in 1958.

Sekar Dhanalakshmi, who was to compete in women’s 100m and 4x100m relay, and Aishwarya Babu, who was to feature in long jump as well as triple jump, were pulled out of the 36-member team after failing dope tests which brought shame to the country.

Dhanalakshmi would not have much chance in 100m but her absence would deal a blow to the women’s 4x100 relay team though India is not medal favourite in the presence of England, Jamaica, Canada and Australia.

Aishwarya could have been a medal contender -- for a bronze -- with her national mark of 14.14m set at the National Inter-State Championships last month.

Defending champion Chopra is, however, not sure shot for a gold medal as he will have to fight for the top honour against Anderson Peters of Grenada. Peters had finished third in the 2018 Gold Coast Games with a best throw of 82.20m while Chopra won gold with 86.47m.

Since then, Peters has won the 2019 World Championships gold and has thrown 90m-plus thrice this year.

Chopra has beaten Peters twice while the 24-year-old Grenadian had prevailed over the Indian once in their three meetings this year so far.

India can win two medals in the men’s javelin throw event as 2012 Olympics champion Keshorn Walcott, the third best among Commonwealth athletes behind Peters and Chopra, is struggling this season.

India’s DP Manu and Rohit Yadav, who made it to the World Championships final along with Chopra, are next in the season’s list among Commonwealth athletes.

Manu had won a gold at the National Inter-State Championships last month with a throw of 84.35m while Rohit qualified for his maiden final in the World Championships.