India to field strong team for SAAF junior championships in Chennai « Athletics Federation of India

New Delhi

India’s promising 3,000m steeplechase runner, Sharuk Khan, will be among 55-member national team, including 27 in women’s group selected by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) that will compete at the September 11 to 13 South Asian Athletics Federation (SAAF) Junior Championships scheduled to be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Sharuk Khan twice improved the U20 national 3,000m steeplechase record at the just concluded World Athletics U20 Championships held in Lima, Peru. He finished 10^th in the final with a time of 8:42.06 seconds.

Quarter-miler Jay Kumar is another prominent athlete in the national team.

Teams from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan have also confirmed their entries for three-day competition in Chennai.

Indian team: Men: Varun Oori Manohar, Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati (100m), Partik Maharana, Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati (200m), Jay Kumar, Rihan Ch (400m), Vinod Kumar, Bopanna Klappa (800m), Rahul Sarnaliya, Priyanshu (1500m), Sharuk Khan, Mohit Choudhary (3,000m steeplechase), Hariharan Kathiravan, Nayan Pradip Sarde (110m hurdles), Sagar Roy, Juwel Thomas (high jump), Mohd Atta Sazid, RC Jithin Arjunan (long jump), Bhupendra Bisht, Raviprakash (triple jump), Anurag Singh Kaler, Siddharth Choudhary (shot put), Ritik, Atul (discus throw), Dipanshu Sharma, Rohan Yadav (javelin throw) and 4x100m relay (M Jayaram Dondapati, Mahendra Santa, Karthikeyan S, Varun Oori Manohar, Vallipi Himateja).

Women: Abinaya Rajarajan, V Sudheeksha (100m), Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland, Neeru Pathak (200m), Neeru Pathak, Sandra Mol Sabu (400m), Laxita Vinod Sandilea, Tanvi Malik (800m), Laxita Vinod Sandilea, Vinita Gurjar (1,500m), Prachi Ankush, Shilpa Dihora (3,000m), Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland, Sabita Toppo (100m hurdles), Pooja, Mohur Mukerjee (high jump), Prathiksha Yamuna, Lakshanya SN (long jump), Rishika Awasthi, Prathiksha Yamuna (triple jump), Tamanna, Pooja Kumari (shot put), Amanat Kamboj, Anisha (discus throw), Deepika, Poonam (javelin throw), 4x100m relay (Abhinaya Rajarajan, V Sudheeksha, Nancy, Neole Anna Cornelio, Rujula Amol Bhonsle).