Athletics
Top athletes that failed to make the cut for Asian Athletics C'ships 2025
Tajinderpal Singh Toor was a huge disappointment at the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition 2025.
Tajinderpal Toor (Left), Tejas Shirse (Middle) and Priyanka Goswami (Right) will miss the Asian Athletics Championships 2025. (Photo credits: Instagram, X)
Several of India's premier track and field stars will be absent from the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships 2025 after failing to meet qualifying standards or choosing to withdraw from the competition at the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition 2025 which was scheduled in Kochi, Kerala, from April 21 to 24.
India's shot-put giant Tajinderpal Singh Toor, a two-time defending Asian champion, will not participate this year. Despite holding the national record of 21.77m, Toor could only manage 18.77m at the Federation Cup 2025, falling short of the 19.10m qualifying mark required for the championships.
Race walker Priyanka Goswami, who claimed silver at the previous Asian Championships, is another notable absentee. The national record holder with a personal best of 1:28:45s failed to finish at the Indian Open Racewalk Championships, missing her chance to qualify for the event where the standard was set at 1:32:00s.
🚨#BreakingNews | Indian contingent for the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 to be held at Gumi, South Korea between May 27 & 31, 2025 announced.
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) April 25, 2025
👉Men: Animesh Kujur (200m), 800m (Anu Kumar, Krishan Kumar), 1500m (Yoonus Shah), 3000m Steeplechase (Avinash Sable), 5000m… pic.twitter.com/Z3K4eaAaqs
Middle-distance runner Ajay Kumar Saroj narrowly missed his opportunity to attempt a third Asian Championship title in the 1,500m. Saroj, who has a personal best of 3:37.83s in 1,500m, clocked 3:42.64s at the Federation Cup 2025, just missing the qualifying standard of 3:42.30s by a under a second.
Sprinter Jyothi Yarraji, the reigning Asian silver medalist in the 200m, will not compete to improve on her previous podium finish. With a personal best of 23.13s in the 200m event, Yarraji was well capable of meeting the qualifying mark of 23.39s but did not finish at the Federation Cup 2025 meet.
Elsewhere, in the 110m hurdles, the promising talent of Tejas Shirse also fell short of securing his spot. Despite coming close with a time of 13.65s at the Federation Cup, Shirse was unable to beat the qualifying standard of 13.56s.
The absence of these athletes, particularly multiple-time continental champions like Toor and Saroj, represents a blow to India's medal prospects at the upcoming championships, where the nation has traditionally performed strongly in these events.
