Athletics
Injured racewalker Akshdeep Singh dropped from Asian Games squad, replaced by Vikash Singh
Akshdeep Singh, who qualified for the final of the World Athletics Championships last month, won the gold medal at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Japan in March.
Racewalker Akshdeep Singh will be competing for India at World Race Walking Team C'Ships in Antalya Turkey.
In a major setback for India with just a week to go for the Asian Games, racewalker Akshdeep Singh has been dropped from India's athletics squad and replaced by Vikash Singh, the Athletics Federation (AFI) confirmed on Monday evening.
Akshdeep Singh, who clocked 1:31:12s in a below-par show in the final of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month, won the gold medal in the men’s 20km event in March at the Asian Race Walking Championships held in Nomi, Japan, with a timing of 1:20:57.
Vikash Singh, who also qualified for the final at the World Championships, came up with a better timing of 1:21:58s. He has a season-best of 1:20:05s achieved in Nomi.
Punjab's Akshdeep Singh, 23, had been in good form this season. In February, he became the first Indian athlete to qualify for next year's Olympic Games in Paris after setting a national record (1:19:55s) at the 10th National Open Race Walking championship held at Ranchi in Jharkhand.
It is also his season-best effort. By attaining the mark, Akshdeep of the Indian Navy broke Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Sandeep Kumar’s previous mark of 1.20.16s.
In the same meet, Vikash Singh of Delhi won the bronze medal as he clocked 1:21:08s
