Kerala's Mijo Chacko Kurian secured a gold medal in the men's 400m event and a silver in the 200m at the 15th leg of the Indian Athletics Series in Meerut. The event also saw other athletes like Adesh Garsa, Sandeep Singh, Avantika Narale, Harita Bhadra, and Priya Mohan clinch top honours across various track and field disciplines, showcasing a strong performance from national athletes.
The squad comprises 17 men and 11 women athletes with some of the other prominent names being Asian Games champions Avinash Sable, Tejinderpal Singh Toor along with sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, to name a few.
Neeraj Chopra will once again headline India's campaign in the World Athletics Championships
The presence of the two women athletes in the contingent, marks the maiden participation of female service athletes at the Olympics.
It's a downfall for the powerhouse that produced some iconic names such as PT Usha, Shiny Wilson, Anju Bobby George, Rosa Kutty, Mercy Kuttan and Bobby Aloysius among others."
Yarraji also competed in the women's 200m event in Warsaw and clocked 23.53 to finish second behind compatriot Kiran Pahal, who timed her run at 23.33.
The men's quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Santosh Kumar, Mijo Chacko Kurian and Arokia Rajiv also failed to stand on top of the podium as they clocked 3:05.76 to finish second behind Sri Lanka (3:04.48). Vietnam was third with 3:07.37.
Tejaswin will however focus on Asian Games 2023, which will be held from Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
Unheralded Abha Khatua equalled the women's shot put national record of 18.06m while winning silver in a surprise performance.
