Neeraj Chopra to lead India’s squad for World Athletics Championships, 3 athletes ruled out due to…

India announced a 19-member squad on Sunday for the World Athletics Championships, set to take place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, with star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra leading the team.

Written by: Akshat Jain Edited by: Akshat Jain

Updated: August 31, 2025, 11:29 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/sports/neeraj-chopra-to-lead-india-squad-for-world-athletics-championships-3-athletes-ruled-out-despite-qualifying-due-to-medical-reasons-8045697/ Copy

Neeraj Chopra. (PIC - X)

New Delhi: India on Sunday announced a 19-member team led by star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21. For the first time in the country’s history, four male javelin throwers from India will participate in the championship, including two-time Olympic medalist Chopra, apart from Sachin Yadav, Yashveer Singh and Rohit Yadav. In the last tournament too, four Indians had qualified, but Rohit was ruled out due to injury.

Did India qualify for any relay event?

The Indian team, which includes five women, was selected after a meeting of the senior selection committee of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). India had sent 28 athletes, including seven relay runners, to the last tournament in Hungary in 2023. This time the country could not qualify for any relay event.

How did Neeraj Chopra perform?

Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in Budapest in 2023 and this time too no other Indian apart from him has any realistic chance of winning a medal. Men’s 20km walk athlete Akshdeep Singh’s name is not included despite qualifying through the world rankings as he is not medically fit. Heptathlete Nandini Agasara, who made the cut by being the Asian champion, is also yet to fully recover from an elbow injury as reported earlier by PTI.

What was AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla’s statement?

Star 3000m steeplechase Avinash Sable qualified by achieving the automatic eligibility limit but will not be able to participate in the event due to ACL surgery in July. AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said in a virtual media interaction, “Sable, Akshdeep and Nandini are not in the team as they are not medically fit.”

Who is in the Team India squad?

Men: Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav (men’s javelin), Murali Sreeshankar (men’s long jump), Gulveer Singh (men’s 5,000m and 10,000m), Praveen Chithravel and Abdulla Aboobacker (men’s triple jump), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (men’s high jump), Animesh Kujur (men’s 200m), Tejas Shirse (men’s 110m hurdles), Servin Sebastian (men’s 20km race walk), Ram Baboo and Sandeep Kumar (men’s 35km race walk).

Women: Parul Chaudhary and Ankita Dhyani (women’s 3000m steeplechase), Annu Rani (women’s javelin), Priyanka Goswami (women’s 35km race walk), Pooja (women’s 800m and 1500m).

Story Highlights:

1. India on Sunday announced a 19-member team led by star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
2. The World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21.
3. 3 athletes ruled out due to medical reasons.