Depleted India hope for substantial medals at Asian Athletics Championships 2019

A severely depleted Indian contingent is unlikely to repeat its unprecedented top-of-the-table finish in the last edition but is still expected to win a substantial number of medals when the Asian Athletics Championships begins here on Sunday.

India had finished on top of the table with a record-breaking haul of 29 medals (12 gold, 5 silver, 12 bronze) in the 2017 Championships held in Bhubaneswar. China had finished second with 20 medals.

But this time, the 42-member Indian team is not expected to achieve that kind of success with several athletes, including star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, missing out of the continental flagship event due to various reasons, including injuries.

The biggest name in Indian athletics, Neeraj has suffered an elbow sprain during practice in Patiala and he is not defending the title he had won in 2017. National record holders Dharun Ayyasamy (men's 400m Hurdles), M Sreeshankar (men's long jump) and Asian Games 800m gold medallist Manjit Singh were also not named in the team due to injuries.

Triple jumper Arpinder Singh, training in the USA, did just 16.34m in the Federation Cup (against qualification standard of 16.50m) and later said he's focusing on the World Championships to be held at the same venue in September-October.

Veteran Sudha Singh, who won a gold in the women's 3000m steeplechase in 2017, was named in the team despite missing the Federation Cup -- which served as the qualifying event -- as well as the confirmatory trials, but the Sports Ministry has refused to clear her name.

Her tickets to Doha were booked and the Athletics Federation of India made a request to clear her name but the Sports Ministry did not budge.

"The Sports Ministry has refused to clear her name despite the AFI making another request," a well-placed source told PTI on condition of anonymity.