Athletics: No qualifying, Neeraj and Kishore will play directly in the Fed Cup final
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Indian javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena have been given direct entry into the Federation Cup Finals to be held in Bhubaneswar on May 15. Neeraj and Kishore have achieved the minimum qualifying mark of 75m several times in their careers, so it has been decided to give direct entry to both these players.
Neeraj was second in the Doha Diamond League
Neeraj, who is preparing for the Paris Olympics, recently performed very well in the Doha Diamond League and finished second with his best effort of 88.38 meters. Neeraj missed the top spot by just two centimeters. However, Asian Games silver medalist Jena’s Diamond League debut was disappointing as he was eliminated after three rounds with a best effort of 76.31 meters. DP Manu, who finished sixth in the World Championship 2023, will be eyeing to qualify for the Paris Olympics by crossing the 85.50 meter mark and he will also compete directly in the final.
Neeraj will participate in domestic
competition for the first time in three years Neeraj Chopra will participate in a competition in India for the first time in three years. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said that 26-year-old Neeraj is very excited about this. Neeraj did not participate in any domestic competition in 2022 and 2023 as he was training or competing abroad. He last played in a domestic tournament in the Federation Cup in March 2021. It is learned that Neeraj has reached India from Doha, but he will reach Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. The AFI wanted Neeraj to participate in a domestic competition after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and before the Paris Games.
Nine athletes get direct entry into finals
Citing AFI’s qualification rules, Indian athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair said, “All those who have crossed the 75m mark will not compete in the qualifying round on Tuesday. Among those who have given entries, there are nine athletes who have done so including Neeraj and Jena. They will directly compete in the final on Wednesday. The rest of the athletes who have thrown below 75m will compete in the qualifying round and the top three will compete in the final along with the nine athletes who have thrown the javelin above 75m.”
