KOLKATA: Neeraj Chopra has been provisionally named in the 32-member Indian athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, scheduled from July 23 to August 2. The former Olympic champion last competed at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year, where he finished a disappointing eighth with a best throw of 84.03m. It was the first time in seven years that he failed to finish on the podium, ending a streak of 33 consecutive top-three finishes.
Since then, he has been dealing with a lingering back injury and recently skipped the Doha Diamond League. The good news, however, is that he is expected to return to action in the coming days and has sought inclusion in the CWG squad subject to qualification.
“Neeraj has requested that he gets to participate in a couple of competitions before the Commonwealth Games. And if he achieves the qualifying standard, he has requested to be selected,” AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwala said during a virtual press conference on Sunday. “He has recovered from his back injury, is training well and is likely to compete in the next 10 days or so,” he added.
According to sources, Chopra could compete at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, scheduled from June 24 to 28. If he does, it will mark his first appearance in the Odisha capital since the Federation Cup in 2024 and his first competition in India since the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, 2025.
The qualifying standard set by AFI for CWG selection is 82.61m, which Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh have already achieved following their performances at the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana. Besides Chopra, triple jumper Selva Prabhu has also been provisionally included. The NCAA champion, with a season best of 16.92m, will need to hit the AFI mark of 16.89m at the inter-state meet, as NCAA performances are not recognized by the federation.
Also making the squad late was Tejas Shirse, who bettered his own national record in the 110m hurdles with a 13.27s run. Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor made the cut after a 20.72m effort and is set to feature at his second Commonwealth Games, having missed the Birmingham edition due to injury.
Among the 10 women athletes, Parul Chaudhary stands out after she broke her own national record in the 5000m, clocking 15:04.26 to finish second at Meeting Nikaia in Nice.
Squad Details
Men: 100m: Gurindervir Singh; 200m: Animesh Kujur; Javelin: Neeraj Chopra*, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh; Long Jump: Lokesh Satyanathan, Sreeshankar M; Triple Jump: Selva Prabhu*, Praveen Chithravel; Shot Put: Samardeep, Tajinderpal; Decathlon, High Jump: Tejaswin Shankar; 5000m, 10000m: Gulveer Singh; High Jump: Aadarsh Ram, Sarvesh Kushare; 4x400m mixed relay: Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh; 110m hurdles: Tejas Shirse; 400m hurdles: Santosh T, Yashas P; Pole Vault: Dev Meena, Kuldeep Kumar
Women: 3000m Steeplechase, 5000m: Parul Chaudhary; Discus Throw: Seema, Nidhi; High Jump: Pooja; Shotput: Manpreet Kaur; 10000m racewalk: Ravina, Priyanka; 4x400m mixed relay: Ansa Babu, Rashdeep Kaur, Neeru Pathak
* Provisionally selected
