Five players to watch at Inter State Senior Athletics Championship

The Inter State Senior Athletics Championship is the last chance for Indian athletes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

From June 27 to 30, the 2024 National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship will unfold in Panchkula, Haryana. The 63rd edition of the National Inter-State Athletics Championship will feature India’s top track and field athletes competing fiercely for coveted spots at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Serving as the last chance to qualify for Paris 2024, the championship concludes on June 30, which perfectly aligns with the Olympic qualifying deadline. Neeraj Chopra will skip the competition due to the short turnaround before the Paris Diamond League on July 7.

However, the Inter State Senior Athletics Championship will feature athletes such as Avinash Sable (men’s 3000m steeplechase), Kishore Jena (men’s javelin throw), Ram Baboo (men’s 20km race walk), and Parul Chaudhary (women’s 3000m steeplechase), all of whom have secured berths for the Paris Games by meeting the qualifying standards.

Hence, this event will offer a glimpse into these athletes’ preparations for the Olympics. It serves as a crucial platform for them to fine-tune their skills, test their strategies and gauge their readiness against top domestic competition before heading to Paris.

As for the Indian relay teams, who have already secured their spot at the Olympics, this will be an opportunity to strengthen their position in the race for inclusion in the Indian team for the Paris Olympics.

Here are five athletes to watch out for at the Inter States Senior Athletics Championship, which marks their final opportunity to secure a ticket to Paris through the world rankings quota or achieve the Paris 2024 Olympic entry standards in their respective events.

Also Read: National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2024 Live Streaming: Where and how to watch

5. Praveen Chitravel: Men’s Triple Jump

Praveen Chithravel has not yet surpassed the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifying mark but is in a strong position to secure a quota through rankings. At the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Bengaluru, he missed the qualification mark by just 0.10m.

After coming so close, Praveen will be determined to achieve the mark at the Inter State Senior Athletics Championship.

4. Annu Rani: Women’s Javelin Throw

Despite not yet surpassing the Paris 2024 Olympics qualification mark of 64m, Annu Rani is on track to secure the quota spot through world rankings. She holds a personal best of 63.82m, set at the Indian Open Javelin Throw Competition in Jamshedpur in 2022, which also stands as the women’s javelin throw national record in India.

She has been training in Germany under foreign athletics coach Werner Daniels since late last year and competing on home turf will showcase her progress.

3. Sarvesh Kushare: Men’s High Jump

It has been a strong start to the season for Sarvesh Kushare, who has shown promising form in the high jump. Alongside fellow high jumpers Tejaswin Shankar and Jesse Sandesh, Kushare finds himself outside the qualification cutoff in the Road to Paris 2024 rankings.

They all need to achieve the entry standard of 2.33m at the inter-state meet to bolster their chances of securing a spot at the Paris Olympics.

2. Jeswin Aldrin: Men’s Long Jump

With Sreeshankar sidelined, the spotlight will turn to Jeswin Aldrin at the Inter State Senior Athletics Championship, who as of the latest rankings update, occupies the 30th position in Road to Paris 2024, which is dangerously close to the top 32.

He must either maintain or improve this ranking at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship, as competing on home turf could provide the momentum he needs to achieve the qualification standard and cement his standing in the rankings.

1. Jyothi Yarraji: Women’s 100m Hurdles

Jyothi Yarraji has narrowly missed the Paris Olympics qualifying time by 0.01 seconds on two separate occasions. She will now look to seize her last opportunity to achieve the entry standard of 12.77 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles. She set a new national record of 12.78 seconds at the World University Games and replicated this achievement in Finland last month.

She currently ranks 31st in the Road to Paris 2024 standings, positioning herself favourably to secure an Olympic quota for India based on her performances in the women’s 100m hurdles.

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