Key Points

In the absence of Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, India's hopes at the Asian Athletics Championships are pinned on emerging javelin throwers Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh. The Indian team features a 61-member squad with notable Olympians and record holders ready to compete. The event will see Jyothi Yarraji, Parul Chaudhary, and Abdulla Aboobacker defending their titles among other athletes. With over 2,000 athletes from 43 nations participating, India aims to continue its medal-winning momentum in Gumi.

Key Points: India's New Javelin Stars Rise as Neeraj Chopra Misses Asian Meet

  • Sachin and Yashvir lead India in Neeraj's absence
  • 61-member Indian squad includes Olympians and national record holders
  • India eyes defending titles with a strong contingent
4 min read

Asian Athletics C'ships: Indian hopes rely on new javelin stars as Neeraj misses out

Indian hopes rest on Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh in the Asian Athletics Championships as Neeraj Chopra takes a break.

"Neeraj's absence offers a golden opportunity for upcoming athletes to shine. - Indian Athletics Federation"

New Delhi, May 26

Young athletes Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh will be shouldering the country's hopes in the absence of world champion and Olympic gold medalist star Neeraj Chopra in the men's javelin throw at the Asian Athletics Championships starting from Tuesday onwards.

During the competition, the focus will also be on Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase) and Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), who will return to defend their respective Asian titles in Gumi from May 27 to 31, as per Olympics.com.

India has announced a 61-member contingent for the competition, which will feature over 2,000 athletes from 43 nations. Neeraj will be skipping the event following his 90-m breaching performance at Doha Diamond League and second place finish at Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland recently.

The Indian squad will feature plenty of Olympians, Asian Games medalists and national record holders, including Avinash Sable (steeplechase), Praveen Chithravel (triple jump), Annu Rani (javelin throw) and Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon).

Yarraji will be aiming to defend her title in 100 m hurdles, she had also won the silver in the 200m in the previous edition in Bangkok.

Parul Chaudhary, who smashed the national record in women's 3000 m steeplechase, also won two medals, plus a silver in 5000 m in the previous edition.

Other notable participants include women's javelin thrower Annu Rani, the reigning Asian Games champion, long jumpers Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan, alongside quarter-milers Rupal Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj.

Vithya Ramraj is also a part of the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay events.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put) and Ajay Kumar Saroj (1500m) are the two Indian gold medallists from the previous edition who are missing out on the Gumi meet.

In the last edition of the competition two years back, India finished with 27 medals, including six gold, 12 silver and nine bronze. It was India's joint-most successful campaign in terms of total medals won at the continental meet alongside Bhubaneswar 2017.

-Asian Athletics Championships 2025 schedule

*May 27, Tuesday

20km race walk men - 4:30 AM20km race walk women - 6:30 AMHammer throw women - 8:30 AMJavelin throw women - 11:10 AMTriple jump women - 11:15 AM10000m men - 12:40 PM

*May 28, Wednesday

Hammer throw men - 8:50 AMPole vault women - 1:40 PMTriple jump men - 1:50 PM400m men - 2:35 PM400m women - 2:45 PM1500m men - 2:55 PM1500m women - 3:05 PM10000m women - 3:15 PMDecathlon 1500m men - 4:10 PM4x400m mixed relay - 4:40 PM100m women - 4:55 PM100m men - 5:05 PMMay 29, Thursday

Shot put men - 1:35 PMLong jump women - 2:00 PM3000m steeplechase men - 2:05 PMHigh jump men - 2:10 PMDiscus throw women - 2:15 PM3000m steeplechase women - 2:20 PM110m hurdles men - 2:40 PM100m hurdles women - 2:55 PM4x400m relay women - 3:45 PM4x400m relay men - 4:00 PM

*May 30, Friday

Long jump men - 1:40 PMShot put women - 1:50 PMHigh jump women - 2:00 PMDiscus throw men - 3:00 PM5000m men - 3:10 PMHeptathlon 800m women - 4:20 PMMay 31, Saturday

*Javelin throw women - 1:40 PMPole vault men - 1:45 PM200m men - 2:00 PM200m women - 2:10 PM400m hurdles women - 2:20 PM400m hurdles men - 2:30 PM5000m women - 2:40 PM800m women - 3:20 PM800m men - 3:40 PM4x100m relay women - 3:55 PM4x100m relay men - 4:10 PM

Asian Athletics Championships 2025: India team*Men

200m: Animesh Kujur800m: Anu Kumar, Krishan Kumar1500m: Yoonus Shah3000m steeplechase: Avinash Sable5000m: Gulveer Singh, Abhishek Pal10,000m: Gulveer Singh, Sawan BarwalTriple jump: Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla AboobackerHigh jump: Sarvesh KushareShot put: Samardeep Singh GillJavelin throw: Sachin Yadav, Yashvir SinghDecathlon: Tejaswin Shankar20km race walk: Servin Sebastian, Amit4x100m: Pranav Pramod, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidar, Amlan Borgohain, Tamilarasu, Ragul Kumar, Gurvinder Singh4x400m: Vishal TK, Jay Kumar, Manu TS, Dharamveer Chaudhary, Rince Joseph, Tushar Kanti, Santosh Kumar, Mohit Kumar

*Women

200m: Nithya Gandhe400m: Rupal Chaudhary, Vithya Ramraj800m: Twinkle Chaudhary, Pooja1500m: Lili Das, Pooja3000m steeplechase: Parul Chaudhary, Ankita5000m: Sanjivani Baburao, Parul Chaudhary10000m: Sanjivani Baburao, Seema100m hurdles: Jyothi Yarraji400m hurdles: Vithya Ramraj, Anu RLong jump: Shaili Singh, Ancy SojanHigh jump: PoojaHeptathlon: Nandini Agasara4x100m: Nithya Gandhe, Abhinaya Rajarajan, Sneha S, Srabani Nanda, Daneshwari, V Sudeeksha4x400m: Rupal,, Subha Venkatesan, Jisna Mathew, Kunja Rajitha, Sandramol Sabu.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Big shoes to fill for Sachin and Yashvir in Neeraj's absence! But this is their golden opportunity to shine. Our athletics scene is growing stronger with so many medal contenders across events. 🇮🇳 Let's hope they all perform their personal best!
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Priya M.
Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary are my favorites to watch! They've been so consistent. Though I wish Neeraj was competing, it's good he's resting after that amazing 90m throw. Our athletes need proper recovery time to avoid injuries.
A
Amit S.
The schedule looks packed! Hope our athletes get enough rest between events. The 4x400m relays are always exciting - we have a strong tradition there. Fingers crossed for multiple podium finishes 🤞
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Shweta R.
While we celebrate our stars, we must acknowledge the lack of depth in some events. Why no Indian in pole vault? Need more investment in less popular sports. Still, proud of our contingent - 61 athletes is no small number!
V
Vikram J.
China and Japan will be tough competitors as always. But our athletes have shown they can rise to the occasion. Special shoutout to Avinash Sable - his steeplechase performances have been world class lately. #Cheer4India
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Neha T.
So many young talents! Shaili Singh in long jump is just 20 and already breaking records. The future looks bright for Indian athletics. Hope DD Sports shows all events live - we need better coverage for our athletes!

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