New Delhi, July 5 (HS). Kiran Pahal has not found a place in the Indian women's 4×400 meter relay team for the Paris Olympics to be held this month.
However, Kiran, who finished second on the all-time Indian 400m list with 50.92 seconds at the recent inter-state national meet where she received the best athlete award, will run in the individual 400m at the Olympics after achieving the qualifying standard in Panchkula.
The Athletics Federation of India, which announced its team for the Olympics on Thursday, has decided to stick to its policy of including national campers for the relay team and that is why Kiran and Dipanshi, who finished second in the inter-state meet, have been left out. Surprisingly, Kiran was included in the Indian 4x400m mixed relay team at the inter-state national meet at the last minute to qualify for Paris.
In athletics, the country's first Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is the biggest name in the 28-member squad, which also includes Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Avinash Sable, Parul Chaudhary and Annu Rani.
Parul will compete in two individual events in Paris, the women's 3000m steeple chase and the 5000m. Rajesh Ramesh, who did not race the individual 400m this year and whose injury prevented him from finishing for India at the World Relays in the Bahamas in May, will compete in the men's 4x400m relay.
Despite qualifying through the world rankings, javelin thrower D.P. Manu did not make the cut after being provisionally suspended for doping. The athletics competition will be held from August 1 to 11. Indian athletes will also participate in the marathon race-walk mixed relay, which will make its Olympic debut in Paris.
Indian Athletes Team for Paris Olympics:
Men's Team:
Avinash Sable (3,000m steeplechase), Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Kumar Jena (javelin throw), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Praveen Chitravel, Abdullah Abubakar (triple jump), Sarvesh Kushare (high jump), Akshdeep Singh, Vikas Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bisht (20km race walk), Muhammed Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, Santosh Tamilarasan, Rajesh Ramesh, Mizo Chacko Kurien (4x400m relay), Suraj Panwar (race walk mixed marathon).
Women's team:
Kiran Pahal (400m), Parul Chaudhary (3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m), Jyothi Yaraji (100m hurdles), Annu Rani (javelin throw), Abha Khatua (shot put), Jyotika Sri Dandi, Subha Venkatesan, Vithya Ramaraj, Poovamma MR, Prachi (4x400m relay), Priyanka Goswami (20km race walk/race walk mixed marathon).