Race Walker Bhawana Jat to miss Athletics World Championships, Seema Punia doubtful

New Delhi: Race walker Bhawana Jat has withdrawn from the World Athletics Championships in the USA next month, while veteran discus thrower Seema Punia also could miss the showpiece even as some Indians are set to make the cut through the world ranking quota. The qualification deadline ended on Sunday and World Athletics will publish the list of participants for the 15-24 July event on Wednesday. Bhawana, who was named in the Commonwealth Games team for the 20-kilometer race walk event “subject to health condition”, has informed the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) that she wanted to focus on the CWG as she had started training just 10 days back. Had she not withdrawn, she would have qualified for the World Championships through the world ranking quota. Priyanka Goswami is competing in the women’s 20-kilometer race walk event as she has qualified by breaching the entry standard. Veteran Seema Punia, who had breached the discus throw qualification mark in June last year, is likely to miss the World Championships as the Road to Oregon list of the World Athletics shows her as a withdrawn athlete. The same is the case for men’s 20-kilometer race walker Rahul Kumar, who had qualified through the entry standard route. His name is also mentioned as withdrawn athlete in the Road to Oregon list of World Athletics. Sandeep Kumar has already qualified for the championships. The AFI on its part said the Indian team for the World Championships will be announced on Thursday after World Athletics publishes its list.

The likes of Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra , 3000-meter steeplechaser Avinash Sable , shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor , and long jumpers Murali Sreeshankar and Jeswin Aldrin have already qualified for the championships. Besides Chopra, Rohit Yadav is set to make the cut for the World Championships in the javelin throw event through the world ranking quota. Praveen Chitravel, who won triple jump gold in the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai earlier this month, and Abdulla Aboobacker can be joined by Eldhose Paul, also through the world ranking quota. Muhammed Anees Yahiya may join Sreeshankar and Aldrin in the long jump event, according to Road to Oregon list of World Athletics. A country can send up to three athletes in an event but it is up to the AFI to select all of them or not. National record holder women’s javelin thrower Annu Rani has also qualified. Aishwarya Mishra, who evaded from dope testing agencies last month but was allowed by AFI to compete in National Inter-State Championships, is shown as a qualified athlete through entry standard in the women’s 400-meter event. Veteran MR Poovamma is also shown as qualified through the world ranking quota in the women’s 400m. Sprinter Dutee Chand can qualify if a couple of athletes choose to withdraw. The same is the case for triple jumper Aishwarya Babu, who smashed the national record during the Chennai National Inter-State Championships earlier this month.