AFI gives athletes second shot at CWG qualifiers in Ludhiana

(From left) Vishal TK, Ancy Sojan and Animesh Kujur Athletes like Ancy Sojan, Vishal TK and Animesh Kujur, who narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games qualification cut-off set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) during the National Senior Athletic Federation Competition in Ranchi (May 22-25), will get another chance to make their mark at the June leg of the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana.Ancy missed the mark in the women’s long jump by 9cm, Vishal fell short by 0.02 seconds in the men’s 400m and Animesh was just 0.03 seconds short of the qualifying standard in the men’s 200m.It is also a huge 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 eligible athletes another chance to achieve CWG qualifying standards at their respective events,” said Adille Sumariwalla, AFI Selection Committee Chairman.“This is because several athletes narrowly missed the AFI qualifying criteria at the just concluded 29th Senior Athletics Federation National Competition in Ranchi.However, there is a caveat! Performances at the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana will be considered only if athletes have competed in the four-day meet in Ranchi.According to Sumariwalla, the athletes wrote to the AFI that they were unable to perform at their best due to adverse weather conditions, especially on the final day.“After due consideration, the members of the AFI selection committee unanimously agreed to provide an additional platform for athletes to achieve the qualifying mark,” the vice-president of World Athletics said in a statement.While the long distance runners battled the heat in the morning, strong winds on the evening of the finals could hamper performances in several events.The CWG AFI selection guidelines will remain unchanged. “The opportunity will be given to the athletes in the events in which they were close to the qualifying marks in Ranchi,” he added.Krishna Jayasankar was also among those who narrowly missed the mark. She won the women’s shot put with a throw of 17.35m, just 27cm short of the CWG mark of 17.62m. She also took bronze in the discus (55.00m) and is likely to have another shot, with the qualifying standard set at 56.85m.Athletes who have already achieved the CWG qualifying mark at Ranchi will remain qualified. “However, if they want to participate in Ludhiana, they can participate,” Sumariwalla said.The decision is likely to bring relief to many athletes and the athlete-friendly move was hailed by Tejaswin Shankar after winning the gold in Ranchi.