India name 73-member athletics squad for Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games; Chopra and Rani absent
India have named a 73-member athletics squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, the report said on 2026-09-17. The contingent will travel to Aichi-Nagoya without Neeraj Chopra and Annu Rani, with Chopra withdrawing due to injury and Rani failing to secure qualification.
The Asian Games 2026 will be the 20th consecutive edition in which Indian athletes will take part. India will seek to replicate the country's Hangzhou 2022 performance, when the overall medal haul was 106. Athletics produced a tournament-high 29 medals at Hangzhou: six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze.
At Hangzhou six athletes won multiple medals. Avinash Sable won gold in the 3,000m steeplechase and silver in the 5,000m, while Parul Chaudhary took gold in the 5,000m and silver in the 3,000m steeplechase. Those results were part of the broader athletics contribution to India’s medal tally at the 2022 Asiad.
Muhammad Ajmal featured in both the men’s and mixed 4x400m relay squads that clinched gold and silver respectively at Hangzhou. Vithya Ramraj returned from Hangzhou with two silvers and a bronze. Harmilan Bains and Subha Venkatesan each won two silver medals for India.
Neeraj Chopra clinched the men’s javelin title at Hangzhou and Annu Rani the women’s javelin title; both are absent from the Indian athletics contingent travelling to Aichi-Nagoya this year. Chopra withdrew from the squad due to injury, while Rani failed to secure qualification for the 2026 Games.
Avinash Sable is part of India’s athletics squad and will compete in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Tejas Shirse, Shahnavaz Khan and Nithya Gandhe were removed from the contingent owing to injuries and poor form. Yash Vir Singh has been named as Neeraj Chopra’s replacement in the squad.
The athletics programme at the Asian Games 2026 will be live-streamed online in India on the SonyLIV app and website, with television coverage on the Sony Sports Network channels. The report added that fans will hope Indian athletes can perform with similar aplomb at the Asian Games 2026.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.
