(From left) Vishal TK, Ansi Sujan and Animesh Kujur
Athletes like Ansi Sujan, Vishal TK and Animesh Kujur, who narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) during the National Athletics Federation’s senior competition in Ranchi (May 22-25), will get another chance to make it to the Ludhiana stage of the Indian Athletics Series on June 13.Ansi missed the women’s long jump record by 9 cm, Vishal was 0.02 seconds behind in the men’s 400 metres, while Animesh was just 0.03 seconds behind the qualifying standard in the men’s 200 metres.It is also a big opportunity, especially for the men’s javelin throwers, after none of them managed to clear the qualifying mark of 82.61m on the final day in Ranchi.“AFI gives qualified athletes another opportunity to achieve the CWG qualifying standards in their respective events,” said Adele Sumariwala, Chair of the AFI Selection Committee.“This is because several athletes narrowly missed the AFI qualifying criteria in the just-concluded 29th National Athletics Federation competition in Ranchi.”However, there is a warning! Performances in the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana will be considered for selection only if the athletes have competed in the four-day meet in Ranchi.According to Somariwala, the athletes wrote to the IBF saying that they were unable to give their best performances due to unfavorable weather conditions, especially on the closing day.
“After necessary deliberations, the members of the IAAF Selection Committee unanimously agreed to give another platform to the athletes to achieve the qualifying mark,” the IAAF Vice President said in a statement.While the long-distance runners struggled with the heat during the morning, strong winds in the final evening may have hampered performance in several events.AFI’s CWG selection guidelines will remain unchanged.
“Athletes in events where they were close to the qualifying marks will get the opportunity in Ranchi,” he added.Among those who narrowly missed the target was Krishna Jayasankar. She won the women’s shot put with a throw of 17.35 metres, just 27cm short of the CWG mark of 17.62 metres. She also took bronze in the discus (55.00m) and is likely to take another shot, as the qualifying standard is set at 56.85m.Athletes who have already achieved the CWG qualifying mark in Ranchi will remain eligible. However, if they want to participate in Ludhiana, they can participate,” Sumariwala said.The decision is likely to relieve many athletes, and Tejaswin Shankar lauded the athlete-friendly move after winning the gold medal in Ranchi.