Neeraj Chopra to lead 28-member squad in Paris Olympics

NEW DELHI: Neeraj Chopra, the defending champion, will lead a 28-member Indian athletics team at the Paris Olympics, commencing on July 26. The 26-year-old, who clinched the gold medal at the Tokyo Games and is the current world champion in javelin throw, has opted to forgo the final Diamond League event in Paris this weekend to focus on his preparations for the quadrennial spectacle.The selected athletes are largely in line with expectations.
The contingent consists of 17 male and 11 female athletes, including notable names such as Asian Games champions Avinash Sable and Tejinderpal Singh Toor, as well as sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, among others.

Particular attention will be given to the 4x400m men's relay team, comprising Muhammed Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, and Rajesh Ramesh. This team garnered significant attention by outpacing the USA team in one of the heats at the recent World Championships.
The track and field events will take place at the Stade de France from August 1 to August 11. World Athletics has introduced a new mixed-relay event for the marathon race walk, while the men's 50km race walk has been removed from the Olympic program.
Indian Paris Olympics team:
Men: Avinash Sable (3,000m steeplechase), Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Kumar Jena (javelin throw), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Praveen Chithravel, Abulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bisht (20km race walk), Muhammed Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, Santhosh Tamilarasan, Rajesh Ramesh (4x400m relay), Mijo Chacko Kurian (4x400m relay), Suraj Panwar (race walk mixed marathon), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (High Jump).
Women: Kiran Pahal (400m), Parul Chaudhary (3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m), Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Annu Rani (javelin throw), Abha Khatua (shot put), Jyothika Sri Dandi, Subha Venkatesan, Vithya Ramraj, Poovamma MR (4x400m relay), Prachi (4x400m), Priyanka Goswami (20km race walk/race walk mixed marathon).