The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has named its squad for the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships, set to take place in Ranchi, Jharkhand, from October 24 to 26.
Junior sensations like Pratik
Maharana, Neeru Pathak, Mubassina Mohammed, Sakshi Chavan, and Deepika are among the standout athletes representing India. Other participating nations include Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Alongside these young stars, several established performers will also make their mark. Pranav Gurav, who stunned the Federation Cup by defeating Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, and Gurindervir Singh, will be in action.
Samardeep Gill, India's rising shot put talent, who outperformed Asian Games medalist and national record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor three times this year, will compete as well.
Ruchit Mori, the 400m hurdler, has already delivered an exceptional season with 4 golds and 3 personal bests. On the javelin front, Rishab Nehra, who recently joined the prestigious 80m club with a throw of 80.12m at the National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi, will represent India alongside Shivam Lohakare (80.95m).
Other notable entrants include World University Games 2025 silver medalist Seema and U-18 National record holder Neeru Pathak, who dominated the National Junior Athletics Championships just days ago.
Indian team for South Asian Senior Athletics Championships:
MEN'S SQUAD
SPRINTS & MIDDLE DISTANCE:
- 100m: Pranav Gurav, Harsh Raut
- 200m: Sandeep Singh, Pratik Maharana
- 400m: Rashid, Mohammed Ashfaq
- 800m: Prakash Gadade, Mogali Venkatram
- 1500m: Sunil Dawar, Arjun Waskale
- 5000m: Prince Kumar, Mohit Chaudhary
- 10,000m: Prince Kumar, Abhishek
HURDLES:
- 110m hurdles: Manav R, Krishik M
- 400m hurdles: Ruchit Mori, Karna Bag
JUMPS:
- High jump: Rohit, Aadarsh Ram
- Long jump: Mohd Sazid, Sarun Payasingh
- Triple jump: Dinesh V, Sebastian VS
THROWS:
- Shot put: Samardeep Gill, Ravi Kumar
- Discus throw: Kirpal Singh, Nirbhay Singh
- Javelin throw: Rishabh Nehra, Uttam Patil
- Hammer throw: Damneet Singh, Ashish Jakhar
RELAYS:
- 4x100m: Pranav Gurav, Harsh Raut, Tamil Arasu S, Pratik Maharana, Jasjit Singh Dhillon, Arnav Takalkar
- 4x400m: Rashid, Mohd Ashfaq, Sharan M, Tarandeep Singh, Rohit Chaydhary, Edwin Mathew
WOMEN'S SQUAD
SPRINTS & MIDDLE DISTANCE:
- 100m: Sudeshna Shivankar, Jilna MV
- 200m: Sakshi Chavan, Neeru Pathak
- 400m: Neeru Pathak, Olimba Steffi
- 800m: Lili Das, Amandeep Kaur
- 1500m: Sanjana Singh, Kajal Kanwade
- 5000m: Seema, Sanjana Singh
- 10,000m: Ravina Gayakwad, Basanti Kumari
HURDLES:
- 100m hurdles: Nandhini K, Moumita Mondal
- 400m hurdles: Olimba Steffi, Neha Dhabale
JUMPS:
- High jump: Gobika K, Supriya B
- Long jump: Mubassina Mohammed, Bhavani Yadav
- Triple jump: Bhairabi Roy, Poorva Sawant
THROWS:
- Shot put: Yogita, Shiksha
- Discus throw: Seema, Nidhi
- Javelin throw: Deepika, Karishma Sanil
RELAYS:
- 4x100m: Sudeshna Shivankar, Jilna MV, Tamanna, Sakshi Chavan, Subha Darshini S, Kajal Vaja.
- 4x400m: Neeru Pathak, Olimba Steffi, Priya Mohan, Poovamma MR, Anankha BA, Manisha Kumari, Rashdeep Kaur.
