Beaten by bias? Karnataka’s Krishik M missed the Asian Games bus despite clearing the AFI benchmark three times

BENGALURU: They say truth is stranger than fiction – a lesson Karnataka’s greatest hurdler just learned the hard way.Despite clearing the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Asian Games qualifying standard not once but thrice, Krishik M still remains out of the men’s 110m squad for the upcoming continental showpiece in Japan.The omission comes as a bitter blow to the 22-year-old BTech graduate – and to his father Manjunath, who gave up his job to support Krishik and his brother Kanishka in their pursuit of an athletics career.The AFI selection committee defended its decision by pointing to the inter-state meet in Bhubaneswar where Krishik finished third – missing the federation’s cutoff for a top-two finish.However, sources point to a double standard, noting that the committee showed leniency to veterans Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put) and Anna Rani (women’s javelin) despite similar qualification failures.To make matters worse, even after Tejas Shirse – the only athlete initially selected for the men’s 110m hurdles – pulled out of the Asian Games squad due to injury, the federation still did not call up Krishik.Krishik’s suspension is in stark contrast to his performances throughout the season. Against the AFI qualifying standard of 13.63 seconds, the Tumakuru native has consistently clocked: 13.44 seconds (personal best) at the Indian Athletics Series (IAS) 6 in Chennai in early May; 13.52 seconds at the Senior Federation Cup in Ranchi later in May; and 13.55 seconds at IAS 9 in Ludhiana in June.Reflecting on the setback, Krishik acknowledged that his performance in the critical qualifying encounter fell short. “I should have performed well at the Inter-State and secured at least second place. Having said that, it is only once in four years that we get an opportunity to represent India in the Asian Games,” he told TOI.Asked if his camp had appealed the decision, he added: “We appealed, but the AFI insisted that I should have finished at least second at the interstate. I had three false starts in the final race. Even one foul puts one under pressure, so I think that affected me.”Currently ranked seventh in Asia, it remains focused on the immediate future. Looking ahead to the Indian Athletics finals series in New Delhi today, Krishik remains defiant: “I am 100% confident that I will win and get the qualifying mark.”