India trims 2026 Asian Games squad to 74 athletes, former javelin medalist missing

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has reduced India’s athletics contingent for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, dropping former javelin gold medalist Anna Rani from three athletes.

Rani, who won gold in the women’s javelin last year, will miss the upcoming Games after failing to reach the qualifying mark set by the AFI during the final Test in Delhi on Thursday. Sprinter Nithya Gandhe and rising long jumper Shahnavaz Khan were the other two athletes removed from the contingent.

The decision was made during a virtual meeting of the AFI selection committee on Friday, reducing the athletics contingent from 77 athletes originally named on September 3 to 74.

RANI IS AN ABBREVIATION

AFI selection committee chairman Adille Sumariwalla confirmed that Rani’s exclusion was based on the eligibility criteria set by the governing body.

“Annu did not reach the qualifying marks (set by the AFI) in the final test (on Thursday) and hence was not selected for the Asian Games,” Sumariwalla told PTI.

“Nithya and Shahnavaz will not participate in the Asian Games due to poor performance and health reasons,” he added.

Rani participated in the finals of the India Athletics Series at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Thursday, an event that served as a confirmation trial for the Asian Games team. In the women’s javelin, she won gold with a throw of 57.21m, but the effort was not enough to meet the qualifying standard set by the AFI.

Her omission is particularly significant given her status as the defending Asian Games champion. Rani had won the women’s javelin gold in the previous edition, making her one of the most prominent names missing from the Indian athletics contingent for Aichi-Nagoya.

However, her previous success did not guarantee selection, with the AFI qualification requirement taking precedence. Despite winning gold in Delhi, Rani was unable to achieve the marks required by the federation during the final examination.

Gandhe and Khan were also removed from the team after the final evaluation. While Gandhe’s exclusion was attributed to health reasons, Khan was dropped on performance grounds, according to Sumariwalla.

The The AFI initially selected 77 athletes for the upcoming Asian Gamesbut the confirming event in Delhi prompted the federation to reassess the composition of the contingent.

Following Friday’s decision, the remaining 74 athletes are scheduled to fly to Japan from Delhi on Saturday.

India will therefore head to the athletics competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games without Rani, who was among the country’s successful representatives at the previous edition. Her absence leaves India without the defending women’s javelin champion, while the final AFI selection also reduced the athletics contingent by three athletes ahead of the Games.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

11 Sep 2026 21:51 IST