India at the World Athletics Championships: Can India seek to end a long medal wait?

India at the World Athletics Championships: OVERVIEW

Twenty-three athletes (Men – 13, Women – 10), 16 categories, three national records, one personal best, three season bests, but no medals. These are India’s official numbers from the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships. Indeed, it was another medal-less World Championships for Indian competitors in Doha, Qatar, where the United States emerged victorious, ahead of juggernauts Kenya and Jamaica.

The alarming fact was that it was one of the finest performances by Indian professionals in a long time at the elite level of track and field events. In essence, India has only ever won a single medal in the Championships, a bronze medal in the long jump in 2003 by Anju Bobby George.

The Forgotten Story of Anju Bobby George

Irrespective of the medal-winning component, few Indian competitors have accomplished notable feats in this international competition. Three Indian national records were broken, one participant recorded a personal best, and three athletes achieved season bests during the event.

They were hardly medal-worthy exploits, but doing their utmost while battling against the greatest in the world merited some recognition.

Over the years, athletes such as Lalita Babar (8^th in 3000m Steeplechase), Annu Rani (8^th in Javelin throw) & Avinash Sable (13^th in 3000m Steeplechase) have qualified for the finals of their respective events, narrowly missing out on podium places despite valiant efforts.

With the 2022 World Athletics Championships underway in Eugene, Oregon, USA, from July 15 to 24, prospects of a second medal, and possibly more, will be substantial. For the very first time in history, the Indian team at the World Championships will have a current Olympic champ.

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who made history by clinching a gold medal, India’s first at the Summer Olympics, in Tokyo 2020, will lead the Indian push in Eugene.

Neeraj Chopra will be aiming to break India’s longstanding medal drought at the international championships after missing the 2019 competition due to injury. The nation sensation earned a spot for the 2022 event after securing an Olympic medal in Tokyo.

The Indian roster has had a rough time winning international medals. With our athletes working tirelessly to reach the summit and supporters worldwide praying and applauding, every fan hopes for a happy ending but is left disappointed. Every year, India produces a plethora of talented athletes, yet our medal tally on the global stage is consistently low.

We do not have adequate infrastructure for athletes’ training and practice programs, which would enable them to become more proficient and well-equipped to contend with world-class athletes. 

The allocation of funding to various spheres of development has been improving with each year’s budget. However, considering the overwhelmingly young population who want to participate in sports, there is still a very modest provision of resources for sports.

As a nation, we are fixated on a specific sport: cricket. Other sports are only accorded a share of the spotlight and public enthusiasm at significant events such as the Olympics.  

They are publicized less, have limited sponsorship deals, and even fewer supporters rooting them on to do great, and then we go about whining and criticizing athletes when we do not win any medals.

So far, at this year’s World Athletics Championships, the Indian delegation began their quest with Avinash Sable and Murali Shreesanker qualifying for the finals of the 3000m steeplechase and long jumps categories, respectively.

Avinash Sable advanced to the final round of the 3000m steeplechase discipline after finishing third in his qualifications with a performance of 8:18.75s. Long jumper Murali Shreesankar qualified for the final with an 8.00m leap, but peers Jeswin Aldrin and Muhammed Anees Yahiya dropped out after heroic attempts of 7.79m and 7.73m, respectively.

Priyanka Goswami achieved 34^th in the 20km marathon, while Sandeep Kumar got 40^th in the men’s division in the same competition. Tajinderpal Singh Toor withdrew from his shot-put contest, citing a groin ailment he suffered a few days prior to the event.

Indian dreams for the second day of the event rested on long jump specialist Murali Sreeshankar, who qualified for the final round with an 8.00m leap in the preliminary stage. Unfortunately, his jitters got the best of him on the big day, ending seventh with a best jump of 7.96m. 

Parul Chaudhary, an Indian women’s steeplechase competitor, achieved a personal record of 9:38.09, but it wasn’t enough to win her a qualifying spot, as she finished 12^th on the field. Hurdler MP Jabir finished seventh with a speed of 50.76, failing to qualify for the future rounds of the competition.

With a whole week of sporting drama left, fingers crossed that the Indian athletic squad can finally break the curse and bring home the coveted medals……AGAIN!!!