It is to be Usain Bolt’s farewell World Championships – that is the highlight of the Worlds in London starting 4 August.
On the Indian front though, the country has sent a 25-strong contingent to the Games, its largest ever. That 28 athletes should have made the trip is a controversy of the week gone by. That only one is anywhere close to being a contender for a medal, is the news for the upcoming week.
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19-year-old Neeraj Chopra holds the junior world record in javelin throw and on 10 August, focus will be on him as he looks to repeat his performance among the big boys of his discipline.
Focus of a medal-starved nation. Hope, of ending a medal drought at the Athletics World Championships since 2003, when Anju Bobby George won a bronze in long jump. To date, India’s only medal at the world event.
India’s Big Finish at Home Games
The historic topping of the medal tally by the Indian athletes in the recent Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar could be taken as a positive sign ahead of the upcoming week. But reality must be addressed, along with the absence of many top athletes from China, Japan, Qatar and Bahrain. Pull outs that left India as the top contingent in the medals tally, ahead even of powerhouse China.
Three of the gold-medal winning athletes from the total haul of 12 first-place finishes will, however, not be competing in London.
Sudha Singh, PU Chitra and Ajay Kumar Saroj may all hold the title of Asian Champions in their events, but when put in context of international performances, they simply fell short.
India’s Events Start on 5 August
Of the 25 who have made the journey to London, the first Indian athlete will be in action on Saturday. Swapana Barman will take the tracks in 100m hurdles as part of his heptathlon event. Muhammed Anas will then compete in the men's 400m heats.
The best bet for India is young Neeraj, whose season’s best of 85.63m puts him at 14th in the IAAF rankings. He has a personal best of 86.48m, which he did while setting a junior world record in 2016. However, he needs to improve at least a couple of meters more than his personal best to be in contention for a medal.
Two javelin throwers – Johannes Vetter and reigning Olympic and world champion Thomas Rohler – have crossed the 90m mark in 2017, while eight athletes have gone beyond 87.64m, the mark which the bronze winner in Beijing had thrown.
The Indian has three 85m throws this season and his two Diamond League appearances in Paris and Monaca last month – where he had finished fifth and seventh respectively – should have boosted his confidence after rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the world.
Apart from Neeraj, there is virtually no chance for any Indian to even be at a striking distance of a medal.
Men's qaurtermiler Anas can hope for reaching the semi-finals this time, with his national record of 45.32 seconds showing promise. Sixteen runners in the London field have cracked 45 seconds this season and it would not be easy for the Indian.
In women’s 400m, Nirmala Sheoran is ranked 2nd in IAAF charts with her season’s best of 51.28 seconds. She too, does not have any chance of going beyond semi-finals, if at all she is able to get past the heats.
Siddhanth Thingalaya, in men's high hurdles, has been inconsistent despite showing a lot of promise. He clinched the London berth with a national record of 13.48 seconds, but finished fifth at the Asian championships with a below-par 13.72.
In men's 5000m, Lakshmanan, who won a distance double at Asian Championships, has a personal best of 13:36.62. It is unlikely that he goes past the preliminary round.
Women javelin thrower Annu Rani clinched the World Championships berth with a throw of 61.86 metres at the Federation Cup in Patiala in June against the standard of 61.40, and it would be a surprise if she makes it to the final round.
A late inclusion in the Indian team through the quota entry rule of the IAAF, sprinter Dutee Chand has not been upto the mark. Since her 11.30 seconds effort in New Delhi in May, which ultimately took her to London despite failing to touch 11.26 qualifying standard, she has not been able to reach near that mark in the subsequent events. Dutee will need something special if she has to reach the semi-finals.
Three Indian men (KT Irfan, Devender Singh and Ganapathi Krishnan) and one woman (Khushbir Kaur) are competing in the respective 20km race walk categories. They can hope for a top 15 or top 20 finish. The men and women marathoners – T Gopi and Monika Athare – are nowhere near the top timings in the world and they can, at best, hope to come among the top 25.
The 4x400 metres relay teams have not done that well as compared to last year, and it would be an achievement for them if they can run in the finals.
(With inputs from PTI)
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