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Once known as India's infamous 'chokers' at multi-sporting disciplines, the Indian athletes seem to now have finally come of age, giving even the best a run for their money. Though there is a long way ahead, the Indian athletes have a golden opportunity in the upcoming Asian Games, to be held in the cities of Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, from 18th August to 2nd of September.
Officially, the Games will begin from 18th August. But our Indian athletes have an extra week to cool their heels and go out all guns blazing at the main stadium, Gelora Bung Karno Sports Stadium in Jakarta, as the athletics event starts from 25th of August, i.e. Day 7 of the Asian Games.
Day 1 of the athletics at Asian Games itself will see Indians in action. Star sprinters, Rajiv Arokia and Muhammad Anas Yahiya will open the account for India in the men's 400m as they will participate in back-to-back heats and semi-finals on a single day. They will be accompanied by Dutee Chand, who will be competing in women's 100m, followed by star sprinter Hima Das, who will try her luck in women's 400m, along with seasoned runner, Nirmala Sheoran.
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They will be followed by G Lakshmanan, who will compete for the top honours in men's 10000m. He will be followed by Sreeshankar M, who will compete in the men's long jump event. Following him would be shot putters Tejinder Pal Singh Toor and Naveen Chikara, who will compete for a podium finish in the men's shot put event.
Day 2 will bring Rajiv Arokia and Muhammad Anas in action again, as they compete for the top honours in the men's 400m final, provided both make the cut. They will be followed by the women sprinters and Sreeshankar M, who will compete in the finals of their respective events, provided they make the cut.
The team will be followed by Sanjivani Jadhav and L. Surya, who will compete for the top honours in the women’s 10000m. event. The day shall be brought to a close by Jauna Murmu and Anu Raghavan, who will be competing in the women’s 400m hurdles event.
Day 3 of the event shall see runners Jinson Johnson and Manjit Singh in action in the men’s 800m event heats, followed by Naveen Kumar Dagar and Shankar Lal Swami, who will vie for the top honours in the men’s 3000m steeplechase event. They will be followed by Ayyasamy Dharun and Santosh Kumar, who will be competing in the men’s 400m hurdles event.
The duo will be followed by star javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, who along with Shivpal Singh, will compete for the top honours in men’s javelin throw. Neeraj, who is consistently on the right track, will aim to not only get the first gold medal for India in javelin throw, but also breach the coveted mark of 90m, something no other Indian has attempted before.
Day 4 of athletics will see Muhammad Anas once again in action, as he competes in the men’s 200m event. He will be followed by Jinson Johnson, who will compete in the men’s 800m final, provided he makes the cut.
Jinson will be followed by G. Lakshmanan, who will compete for the top honours in the men’s 5000m event. Lakshmanan will be followed by B. Chethan, who will steer the Indian challenge in the men’s high jump event.
The duo shall be followed by Tintu Luka, the protégé of legendary sprinter P T Usha, who will be competing in women’s 800m. She will be followed by Lalita Babar, who will aim to get back on track through a brilliant performance in the women’s 3000m steeplechase event.
She will be followed by Nayana James and Neena Varaki, who will compete for India in the women’s long jump event. The day shall come to a close with the mixed Indian team, comprising both male and female runners, who will be participating in the heats of the mixed 4x400m relay team.
Chethan will be followed by star sprinters, Hima Das and Dutee Chand, who will compete for the final berth in women’s 200m events. They will be followed by Tintu Luka and Sanjivani Jadhav, who will compete in the finals of women’s 800m. and 5000m. respectively, provided they make the cut.
The duo will be followed by Annu Rani, who shall compete for the top honours in the women’s javelin throw event, while Purnima Hembram and Swapna Barman will compete for the top honours in the women’s heptathlon event.
Day 5 of athletics shall see the runners, Jinson Johnson and Manjit Singh once again in action, as they will compete for a final place in the men’s 1500m events. They will be accompanied by walkers, Manish Singh Rawat and Irrfan Kolothum Thodi, who will aim for a respectable finish in the men’s 20km race walk event. The duo shall be followed by B. Soumya and Khushbir Kaur, who will be competing for the top honours in the women’s 20 km race walk event.
The day shall be brought to a close by Rakesh A V Babu and Arpinder Singh, who will compete in the men’s triple jump event, provided they manage to make the cut for the final. Also participating are the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams respectively, who will aim for a spot in the finals, to be held the following day.
Apart from the finalists of the above events, the only other Indian in fray for the final day of the athletics event at the Asian Games will be Seema Punia, who is the defending champion of the women’s discus throw event. A silver medallist from the CWG edition of this year, Seema will leave no stone unturned to defend her title successfully.
Following is the lineup for the athletics event at the Jakarta Asian Games
Day 1 – 400 m. Heats and Semifinals [Both Men and Women], Men's 10000 m., Men's Long Jump Preliminaries, Men's Shot Put, Women's Hammer Throw, Women's 100 m. Heats
Day 2 – Men's and Women's 400 m. finals, Men's 400 m. Hurdles preliminaries, Men's Long Jump finals, Women's 100 m. Semifinals and Finals, Women's 10000 m., Women's 400 m. Hurdles Heats, Women's Long Jump Preliminaries
Day 3 – 800 m. Heats and Semifinals [Men's and Women's], 3000 m. Steeplechase [Men's and Women's], Men's 400 m. hurdles finals, Men's Triple Jump heats, Men's Javelin Throw finals, Women's 400 m. hurdles finals, Women's Long Jump finals, Mixed Team 4x400 m. relay Heats
Day 4 – 200 m. Heats and Semifinals [Men's and Women's], Men's 800 m. Finals, Men's 5000 m., Women's 800 m. finals, Women's Heptathlon Preliminaries, Women's Javelin Throw, Mixed Team's 4x400 m. Relay Finals
Day 5 – 200 m. finals [Men's and Women's], Men's and Women's 1500 m. heats, Men's and Women's 20 km. Race Walk, Men's Triple Jump Finals, Men's 4x400 m. relay Heats, Women's 4*400 m. relay Heats, Women's Discus Throw Finals, Women's Heptathlon Finals
Day 6 – Men's and Women's 4x400 m. Relay Finals, Men's and Women's 1500 m. Finals, Men's 50 km. Race Walk
