Athletics Federation of India shortlists several athletes for national camp despite average performance in 2022 

Haryana’s international 400m runner Anjali Devi is among 11 elite women's quarter-milers shortlisted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for a four-month-long national camp beginning November 23.

The AFI has also selected as many as 16 400m runners in the men’s group to build a strong 4x400m relay team for the 2023 season.

Despite being sidelined due to injury for the 2022 season, Anjali finds herself in the national camp in Kerala. The AFI has also selected Ayush Dabas, who was suspended for possessing syringes during a surprise check-up during the 2022 national camp in Kerala.

While throw camps, including javelin, will be conducted at Patiala’s National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Punjab, Bengaluru will be the venue for middle and long-distance athletes. The sprints and jumps camp will be organized in Thiruvananthapuram.

The national camp, which will continue from November until March 31, 2023, is being organized to prepare the elite Indian athletes for the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, World Athletics Championship, and the Asian Games.

Coaches named for Athletics Federation of India national camp

While AFI has shortlisted the 2018 Asian Games champion in shot put Tajinder Singh Toor, his coach Mohinder Singh Dhillon's name is missing from the list of the coaching staff.

Tajinder Singh Toor has been selected for the national camp but his coach misses out

The AFI has named as many as nine coaches, including India’s chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair, for the camp in Patiala.

Parveer Singh, Gursimran Singh, Subhadeep Singh, Virender Kumar, Samarjeet Singh Malhi, Navpreet Kaur, and Jai Chaudhary are the other coaches named by AFI for the throwing camp in Patiala. The coaching staff also includes three physios and three masseurs.

More than 50 elite athletes, including the Commonwealth Games medalist in men’s steeplechase Avinash Sable, will attend the national athletics camp in Bengaluru.

The AFI plans to focus on women's 4x100 relay in future and has shortlisted top sprinters, including Dutee Dand and Hima Das.

The following athletes will attend the national camp in Patiala:

Rohit Yadav, Sahil Silwal, Abhishek Drall, Kishore Kumar Jena, Manu DP, Yashweer Singh (all javelin throw); Tajinder Singh Toor and Karanveer Singh (shotput); Kripal Singh (discus thrower); Shilpa Rani, Sanjana Chaudhary (javelin women); Manpreet Kaur, Kiran Baliyan, Abha Khatua (shot put women); Sarita R Singh, Manju Bala (hammer throw); Mareena George, Swapna Barman, and Sowmiya Murugan (heptathlon).

Athletes selected for camp in Thiruvananthapuram are as follows:

Noah Nirmal Tom, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Anas, Arokia Rajiv, Naganathan Pandi, Rahul, Baby, Muhammed Ajmal, Rajesh Ramesh, Akash Kumar, Nihal Joel, Vikrant Panchal, Kapil, Ayush Dabas, Karunamay Mahato, Rahul Ramesh Kadam, Mijo Chacko Kurian (all 400m); Dharun Ayyasamy, MP Jabir, Santosh Kumar, Dhaval Mahesh Utekar (all 400m hurdles); Aishwarya Mishra, Kiran, Rupa Chaudhary, Priya Mohan, Dandi Jyothika Sri, Deepanshi, Arathi R, Subha V, Vismaya VK, Anjali Devi (all 400m); Vithya Ramraj, (400m hurdles); Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Daneshwari AK, Jyothi Y, Anjali PD, Simi NS, Archana Suseentran (all 100m); Jisna Mathew (400m PT Usha School).