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Athletics

National U-23 Athletics Championships – Players to watch out for

As the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) kick-started the National U-23 Athletics Championships earlier today, here are five players you should watch out for.

Praveen Chitravel, Taranjeet Kaur and Komal Jagdale
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Praveen Chitravel, Taranjeet Kaur and Komal Jagdale

By

Abhijit Nair

Published: 27 Sep 2021 5:56 AM GMT

Indian athletics has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years. The country has produced some elite athletes who have being giving tough times to the best in the world with their performances.

The Olympic gold for Neeraj Chopra was just the tip of the iceberg. The performance of Indian youngsters at the World U-20 Athletics Championships just after the Olympics further reiterated the depth of talent the country possesses in athletics.

As the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) kick-started the National U-23 Athletics Championships earlier today, here are five players you should watch out for.

KM Chanda

The name KM Chanda does not need a lot of explanation for the close followers of Indian athletics. The 20-year-old has been making waves in the national circuit for quite some time now. A middle-distance runner from Delhi, Chanda is widely regarded as the one who could challenge Harmilan Bains as India's premier 800m, 1500m runner in the near future.

Praveen Chitravel

A 20-year-old from Tamil Nadu, Praveen Chitravel is a triple-jumper. Son of a labourer, Praveen is a Youth Olympics bronze medallist and is considered to be one of India's brightest prospects in field events. He even won the 'Best Athlete' award at the recently concluded National Athletics Open in Warangal, and further demanding the attention of fans.

Taranjeet Kaur

A sprinter from Delhi, Taranjeet Kaur grabbed eyeballs with her massive improvement this year. Aged just 19, Kaur has a personal best of 11.50 in 100m, 23.64 in 200m and will be the hot favourite to claim a sprint double in the women's section in Chennai. Having suffered an accident in 2018, Taranjeet Kaur was about to give up athletics before a pep talk from the infamous wrestler Sushil Kumar put her back on track.

Komal Jagdale

Komal Jagdale has been around for quite some time. The 22-year-old from Maharashtra, who specialises in 3000m Steeplechase, won the gold medal at the recently concluded National Athletics Open in Warangal with a personal best timing of 9:51.03 and will be eager to clinch the U-23 title as well.

Vikrant Panchal

A quarter-miler from the state of Haryana, Vikrant Panchal holds a personal and season-best of 46.83 seconds. The 21-year-old has long been seen as the one who could bolster the Indian 4x400m relay squads, and he will surely be on the lookout to impress the Indian athletics followers with his performance.


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