Asian Games 2023: AFI adds 3 more athletes to the Indian team
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has added three more athletes to the Indian team for the upcoming Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. According to PTI, the Sprinter Amlan Borgohain, Quartermiler Prachi and 3000m steeplechaser Priti Lamba have been added to the Indian team on Monday.
Earlier, AFI had mentioned that they would add 15 more athletes to the Asian Games squad based on their results in the Indian Grand Prix Athletics event (IGP 5) in Chandigarh.
The Federation has included three more athletes after the completion of Day Two of the Indian Grand Prix. However, the Men's and Women's 4x100 relay teams could not make the cut as they failed to reach the Asian Games qualifying mark. In both Women's and Men's events, three teams (Team A, B and C) participated in the 4x100m relay event.
In the Women's competition, Team A comprising Nithya Gandhe, Vijaya Kumari, Srabani Nanda and Jyothi Yarraji finished the race in 44.66 seconds, falling 0.16 seconds shy of the qualifying mark.
In the Men's event, The Team A quartet of Harjit Singh, Amlan Borgohain, Amiya Kumar and Siva Kumar finished 0.24 shy of the qualifying mark, completing the race in 39.24s.
Notably, Amlan Borgohain is one of the three athletes to make it to the Asian Games team, where he will compete in Men's 200m. On Sunday, Borgohain finished second to Harjit Singh with 10.57s in the Indian Grand Prix Athletics event.
The Steeplechaser Priti Lamba impressed on the final day of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics event as she won the 3000m race with 9:45.13s. Gujarat's Kajalben Dineshbhai came second in the IGP5 with a timing of 12:56.12s.
The Haryana athlete breached the Asian Games 2023 qualifying time of 9:47s set by AFI. Notably, in the Asian Athletics Championships, she clocked 9:48.50s.
Uttar Pradesh athlete Prachi has made it to the AFI's Asian Games team for the Women's 4x400m relay team. However, it is unclear whether AFI has dropped a member from the four-member relay team announced earlier.
Earlier on Sunday, in the IGP 5, Prachi finished third in the 400m race with a timing of 53.01s. She finished behind Vithya Ramraj and Subha Venkatesan. While Subha Venkatesan is a part of the relay team, Vithya Ramraj could not make the cut. However, the Tamil Nadu athlete will represent the country in the 400m Hurdles.
Vithya Ramraj wins 400m hurdles at Indian Grand Prix Athletics event on Monday
After winning the 400m race on Sunday, Vithya Ramraj continued to impress in the Indian Grand Prix 5, as she won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles with a timing of 55.43s on Monday.
Notably, Vithya almost broke the veteran PT Usha's long-standing national record in the Women's 400m Hurdles. PT Usha clocked 55.42s in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, finishing fourth.
Talking to PTI about her race, Vithya Ramraj said that she wants to break the national record and will try to achieve it during the Asian Games 2023.
"Had I run faster in the first 200m, I would have broken the national record today itself. But there is the Asian Games coming up, and I will try to break the NR there," she told PTI.
Vithya Ramraj's timing of 55.43s is the second-best of this season amongst the Asians. Earlier in the World Athletics Championships, Bahrain's Kemi Adekoya clocked 53.09s to finish fourth in the competition.