Athletics Federation of India announces squad for Asian Cross Country Championship in Hong Kong

India has announced an elite eight-member squad to compete in the upcoming Asian Cross Country event, which is set to take place in Hong Kong on October 20, 2024.

Leading the men’s team is Gulveer Singh, a bronze medallist from the Asian Games in the 10,000m category. Gulveer, who recently broke the 5,000m National Record with an impressive time of 13:11.82 at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Japan, will be a key contender for India at the Asian event.

Accompanying him is his training partner Kartik Kumar, along with fellow runners Abhishek Pal and Arun Rathod, completing the men’s elite team.

As far as the Women's team is concerned, Ankita, Seema, Sanjivani Jadhav, and Sonika, form a strong group that will represent India in the event. Alongside the elite squad, a junior team has also been named, which will compete in the junior categories. The men’s junior team includes Amardeep Pal, Kripashankar Yadav, Vinod Singh, and Gaurav Bhaskar Bhosale. The women’s junior team is made up of Ekta Dey, Sunita Devi, Shilpa Dhiora, and Prachi Ankush Devkar.

India squad for Asian Cross Country Championship:

Elite: Men: Gulveer Singh, Karthik Kumar, Abhishek Pal, Arun Rathod

Women: Ankita, Seema, Sanjivani Jadhav, Sonika.

Junior: Men: Amardeep Pal, Kripashankar Yadav, Vinod Singh, Gaurav Bhaskar Bhosale

Women: Ekta Dey, Sunita Devi, Shilpa Dhiora, Prachi Ankush Devkar.

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Pakistan to host South Asian Cross Country Championship, India to participate

In addition to the Asian Cross Country Championships, the Indian team is also set to participate in the South Asian Cross Country Athletics Championship, scheduled to take place on November 24, 2024, in Islamabad, Pakistan.

This will be a historic event for Pakistan, marking the first time the country will host the South Asian Championship. Athletes from seven South Asian nations, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, will be competing in the championship, adding to the significance of the event.

Athletics Federation of India (AFI) President Adille Sumariwalla has confirmed that the Indian athletes' participation in the South Asian event in Pakistan will depend on their fitness levels.

“The participation of the athletes in the South Asian Cross Country will be subject to fitness. If any athlete is unfit, he/she will be dropped,” he said. (as quoted by Sportstar)

Participating in both the Asian and South Asian Championships will give the Indian athletes a platform to demonstrate their skills across two major international events.