Neeraj Chopra to Miss Asian Athletics Championships 2025 as Sable and Yarraji Lead Indian Team

April 26, 2025: India’s athletics team is ready for action at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025, set to begin on May 27. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) unveiled the squad following the conclusion of the Federation Cup in Kochi, which served as the final selection trial event. Notable absences include Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and Asian Games gold medalists Annu Rani and Tajinderpal Singh Toor, but the squad is filled with strong contenders across multiple disciplines.

Notable Names in the Men’s Team

Avinash Sable, a national record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, is one of the key athletes for India, along with Praveen Chithravel, who will compete in the triple jump after equaling his national record.

The javelin throw will see Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh representing India in the absence of Neeraj Chopra, who will be preparing for other events like the Doha Diamond League and Neeraj Chopra Classic.

Tejaswin Shankar, a talented decathlete, will also make his mark in the competition, alongside sprinter Animesh Kujur, who recently broke the national 200m record.

Women’s Team Highlights

Jyothi Yarraji, who aims to defend her 100m hurdles title, will be one of India’s star performers in the women’s category.

Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan will represent India in the long jump, while Rupal Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj will compete in the 400m and 400m hurdles.

The women’s team will also feature Nandini Agasara in the heptathlon, alongside strong sprinters and relay athletes like Nithya Gandhe and Sneha K.

Relay Teams

The 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams for both men and women are filled with promising athletes who will hope to continue India’s strong performances in the relay events.

Previous Performance

In the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, India finished with a total of 27 medals — six gold, twelve silver, and nine bronze. The team will aim to improve on that performance in the 2025 edition, which will run from May 27 to May 31.

Full Squad for Asian Athletics Championships 2025:

Men’s Team:

• 200m: Animesh Kujur
• 800m: Anu Kumar, Krishan Kumar
• 1500m: Yoonus Shah
• 3000m Steeplechase: Avinash Sable
• 5000m: Gulveer Singh, Abhishek Pal
• 10,000m: Gulveer Singh, Sawan Barwal
• Triple Jump: Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker
• High Jump: Sarvesh Kushare
• Shot Put: Samardeep Singh Gill
• Javelin Throw: Sachin Yadav, Yashvir Singh
• Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar
• 20km Race Walk: Servin Sebastian, Amit
• 4x100m Relay: Pranav Pramod, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidar, Amlan Borgohain, Tamilarasu, Ragul Kumar, Gurvinder Singh
• 4x400m Relay: Vishal TK, Jay Kumar, Manu TS, Dharamveer Chaudhary, Rince Joseph, Tushar Kanti, Santosh Kumar, Mohit Kumar

Women’s Team:

• 200m: Nithya Gandhe
• 400m: Rupal Chaudhary, Vithya Ramraj
• 800m: Twinkle Chaudhary, Pooja
• 1500m: Lili Das, Pooja
• 3000m Steeplechase: Parul Chaudhary, Ankita
• 5000m: Sanjivani Baburao, Parul Chaudhary
• 10,000m: Sanjivani Baburao, Seema
• 100m Hurdles: Jyothi Yarraji
• 400m Hurdles: Vithya Ramraj, Anu R
• Long Jump: Shaili Singh, Ancy Sojan
• High Jump: Pooja
• Heptathlon: Nandini Agasara
• 4x100m Relay: Nithya Gandhe, Abhinaya Rajarajan, Sneha S, Srabani Nanda, Daneshwari, V Sudeeksha
• 4x400m Relay: Rupal, Sneha K, Subha Venkatesan, Jisna Mathew, Kunja Rajitha, Sandramol Sabu

With a stellar line-up and key athletes missing from the action, India’s quest for success at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships will undoubtedly be one to watch.