Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been named in India's provisional 32-member athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games 2026, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.
The two-time Olympic medallist has not yet begun his 2026 season as he has been recovering from a back injury. Despite that, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has included him in the provisional squad.
However, the 28-year-old still needs to meet the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 82.61m in the coming days to confirm his place in India's final team for Glasgow 2026.
"Neeraj Chopra has recovered and is ready to compete in the next few days. He asked us to add him. We expect him to play a few meets this month," AFI Selection Committee
chairman Adille Sumariwalla said. "His recovery is going fine, and he will be competition-ready in the next ten days, but he will have to qualify. "
Neeraj Chopra, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, last competed at the World Championships in Japan, where he finished eighth. He did not take part in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham because of a groin injury.
Before his first appearance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Neeraj Chopra had already become a junior world champion and was starting to gain recognition in senior-level competitions.
In 2016, he made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a world title in athletics at any level. He achieved this by winning the U-20 World Championships with a record-breaking throw of 86.48m, which set a new junior world record.
Triple jumper Selva Prabhu has also been given an opportunity after his impressive performance at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, where he claimed the title with a leap of 16.92m.
The 22-year-old must now compete at the upcoming Inter-State Championships later this month to secure his place in India's squad for Glasgow. The Athletics Federation of India's qualifying standard for the 2026 Commonwealth Games stands at 16.89m.
Overall, AFI has selected a 32-member athletics contingent for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, comprising 22 men and 10 women.
Most athletes secured their places by achieving the required qualifying standards at the Federation Cup and the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana, both recognised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) as Commonwealth Games selection events.
A handful of athletes, however, were given special approval to chase the qualification marks at international competitions. Among them were Parul Chaudhary, who set a new Indian 5000m record in France on Saturday, distance runner Gulveer Singh, shot putter Manpreet Kaur, race walker Priyanka Goswami and long jumper Lokesh Sathyanathan.
The provisional squad also features sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, former Asian shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor, and pole vaulters Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar, who jointly hold the national record.
Meanwhile, Vishal TK, the first Indian athlete to run the 400m in under 45 seconds, has been named in the mixed 4x400m relay group along with Rajesh Ramesh, Ansa Babu, Neeru Pathak and Rashdeep Kaur.
INDIAN ATHLETICS SQUAD FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026
Men's: Gurindervir Singh (100m), Animesh Kujur (200m), Neeraj Chopra, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh (Javelin), Lokesh Satyanathan, Sreeshankar (Long Jump), Selva Prabhu, Praveen Chithravel (Triple Jump), Samardeep, Tajinderpal (Shot Put), Tejaswin Shankar (Decathlon, High Jump), Gulveer Singh( 5000m, 10000m), Aadarsh Ram, Sarvesh (High Jump), Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh (4x400m mixed relay), Tejas Shirse (110m hurdles), Santosh T, Yashas P (400m hurdles), Dev Meena, Kuldeep Kumar (Pole Vault).
Women's: Parul Chaudhary (3000m Steeplechase, 5000m), Seema, Nidhi (Discus Throw), Pooja (High Jump), Manpreet Kaur (Discus Throw), Ravina Priyanka (10000m racewalk), Ansa Babu, Rashdeep Kaur, Neeru Pathak (4x400m mixed relay).
