Dutee Chand among top athletes to compete in  Indian Grand Prix First Leg Event 

After an agonizing wait due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian athletes are all geared up in full flow for the first leg of the Indian Grand Prix Series which gets underway from today at Patiala’s National Institute of Sports (NIS) campus.

The Indian Grand Prix events will be an important opportunity for Indian track and field athletes to book a berth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. All eyes will be on India's top sprinter, Dutee Chand, who is set to hog the limelight in the one-day Grand Prix event.

How Many Events Are There In Indian Grand Prix I

IGP I will feature a total of 15 events, including two races each in the men's 100m and 200m sprints. It will start with track events (both men and women), 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 5000m followed by 400m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, and shot put in both (men and women) categories. Further, the Women's Discuss throw will also be organized on this day.

Indian Athletes Participating in the Event

Around 85 athletes will participate in the first leg of the Indian Grand Prix. Odisha international sprinter Dutee Chand (100m) will be in the spotlight along with Anjali Devi and Subha Venkatesan (200m). Other top women athletes include MR Poovamma, VK Salini (400m) and Chanda (800m)

Men's 100m national record holder Amiya Kumar Mallick will be seen in action to capitalize on the opportunity and seal an Olympic berth at the Tokyo Games. Other notable names in the men's field are Kerala’s 400m sprinter Rajiv Arokia and Noah Nirmal Tom in 200m.

Rajiv Arokia with the 4*400m Indian relay team at 2018 Commonwealth Games

Amoj Jacob (800m) and Dharun Ayyasamy (400m hurdles), Muhammad Anas Yahiya and Yugant Shekhar Singh (long jump) round off a star studded field at the Indian Grand Prix I event.

Indian Grand Prix II and III events

The second leg of the Indian Grand Prix will be held on 25 February. It will be followed by the third leg which will be held on 5 March.

Also read: 2021 Tokyo Olympics prospect Dutee Chand to be the star attraction at Indian Grand Prix