What is next for Indian athletics after the Tokyo Olympics?

The upcoming year will be a hectic season for the Indian athletes.

The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics has turned out to be a landmark tournament for Indian athletics. Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win an athletics medal in Olympics by clinching the gold in men's javelin throw.

Other notable performances in athletics by the Indian contingent includes Kamalpreet Kaur, who finished at the sixth spot in women's discus throw. The Indian 4x400m relay team broke the Asian record after a blistering race but still fell short.

With Tokyo 2020 now in the past, it is time to turn their focus towards several upcoming competitions approaching them. Let's take a look at the upcoming athletics competitions where Indians will be participating.

National Open Athletics Championships 2021

In the domestic circuit, the National Open Athletics Championships will be the next event. This will be the 60th edition of the tournament and will take place in Warangal, Telangana. The event will be organized between September 15-19 in 2021.

However, the Indian athletes have just returned from Tokyo. They will now most probably be taking some time off to be with their family, after long periods away from home. Hence, there is a chance that not many athletes from India's contingent at Tokyo 2020 will take part in it. The likes of Hima Das and Harmilan Bains might participate at this event.

National Open Javelin Throw Championships 2021

The final major event of the domestic circuit will be the National Open Javelin Throw Championships. It will take place on 19th and 20th October in Delhi.

There is no confirmation yet if Neeraj Chopra will take part in this event. However, two other Tokyo Olympics javelin throwers, Shivpal Singh and Annu Rani are likely to feature. In addition, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has recently announced that August 7 will be celebrated as National Javelin Day every year. This will be a mark of respect for Neeraj Chopra, who clinched the gold in men's javelin throw with a best effort of 87.58m.

Diamond League Events 2021

Neeraj Chopra has said that he could participate in the remaining legs of the Diamond League in this calendar year. Chopra had pulled out of the Gateshead Diamond League prior to the Olympics, to fully focus on the quadrennial event.

Chopra might travel to Europe later in August to participate in the remaining events. Athletissima in Lausanne, Meeting de Paris, Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels and the season-ending Weltklasse Zurich are the events in which the Indian javelin thrower could participate.

Other Indian athletes are also eligible, but none have confirmed their participation for any of the diamond league events as of yet.

Khelo India Youth Games 2021

The 2021 edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will now take place in February 2022, in view of the possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will take place in Haryana.

Around 8,500 players are likely to participate, of which 5,072 will be athletes. Khelo India is the Indian government's flagship programme to promote Olympic sports in the country. This will be the perfect platform for many budding talents to showcase their abilities and grab the attention of national coaches.

World Athletics Championships 2022

Elite Indian track and field athletes will be in for a hectic time in 2022 with three back-to-back major competitions over two months on three different continents. With Indians are eligible for all three events, the tight scheduling will present a challenge to the athletes, especially those like javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who will be eyeing the podium at all three competitions.

However, Chopra has stated that his next main target is winning a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships. During a felicitation ceremony by the AFI, the 23-year-old said that the World Championships is a big competition, and is sometimes even tougher than the Olympics. He wishes to win a World medal now and replicate Anju Bobby George.

The 18th edition of the prestigious competition will take place in Oregon, USA between July 15-24. US President Joe Biden will officially inaugurate the competition.

Commonwealth Games 2022

The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has resulted in a situation where the World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will all be held in the July-September time slot.

The Commonwealth Games 2022 will take place in Birmingham, England between July 28-8 August. Neeraj Chopra will be defending his Commonwealth Games crown against some of the world's best athletes at the Alexander Stadium.

Asian Games 2022

The 19th edition of the Asian Games will take place in Hangzhou, China from September 10-25. It will become the third Chinese city to host the continental competition after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

The Asian Games will serve as Olympic qualifiers for some events. It will include athletes from Oceania for the first time ever. Ace Indian athletes Neeraj Chopra and Tajinderpal Singh Toor will be the defending champions in their respective events.

South Asian Games 2023

The South Asian Games will be the first major event of 2023. It will most probably take place in March, in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. There is no confirmation yet if Indian athletes will participate in this regional multi-sports event.

There is a lot to look forward to for Indian athletes with several sporting events scheduled to take place in the next year and beyond.

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