“I am a bit sad but we can’t go against rules"- Abha Khatua about her Asian Games exclusion

Abha Khatua is ready to put the Asian Games 2023 exclusion behind her and work towards the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification. The 28-year-old has been excluded from the Asian Games 2023 squad despite breaching the Asian Games qualification mark multiple times in the past year.

According to the rules, a country can name only two athletes per event. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has opted to go with Manpreet Kaur and Kiran Baliyan for the event.

Talking to PTI about her exclusion, Abha Khatua said that she was sad because of her exclusion from the squad, but she could not go against the event rules.

“I am a bit sad, but we can’t go against the rules. The last date (for submission of names of athletes for Asian Games) was July 15, my event at the Asian Championships was on July 16," she said.

Abha Khatua equalled the national record at the Asian Championships in Bangkok in July. She threw a distance of 18.06m to equal Manpreet Kaur's record.

In the recent Indian Grand Prix athletics event, Abha Khatua defeated both Manpreet Kaur and Kiran Baliyan to win the gold medal. The West Bengal athlete breached the 18m mark for the second time in one year and finished with a distance of 18.02m.

Despite her impressive efforts, she could not find a place in the Asian Games squad. However, Khatua is ready to put all these setbacks behind her and work towards the upcoming events.

"At times this kind of thing can happen and for the better," she said. “I have the National Games and National Open Championships. It will be good if I qualify for the Olympics this year, otherwise, I will try next year,” she later added.

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Abha Khatua's battle with fitness

Abha Khatua hails from the village of Khurshi, West Bengal. Her father is a farmer, and the family works on others' land for a living. Whenever she was at home, Khatua would help her father in farming.

While growing up, she tried different sports before settling on shot put in 2019. She was then enrolled in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel, her 1st major break.

However, things went downhill health-wise for the 28-year-old in 2020/21 and she was forced to miss most of the season. She also suffered a wrist injury around March.

A month later, she tested positive for COVID-19. The disease caused her breathing problems, and the impact was severe. She had swelling on her legs, which made training difficult. After recovering from COVID-19, she suffered from severe chikungunya, which resulted in weight loss as well.

Abha Khatua took several months to regain her fitness and get back to her best. In February 2022, she breached the 17m mark for the first time in the Indian Open Throws competition at Patiala.

After recovery, Khatua opted to change her technique from gliding to rotation technique. This change helped her to cover more distance.

“I have to make plans for the 2024 Olympics next year. I have speed with throw, and that is useful in the rotation technique. I now know I can do better", she said.