India Fields 75 Athletes Across 41 Events at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
A 75-member Indian squad targets medals in 41 athletics events, fielding returning champions despite Neeraj Chopra's absence.
Key points
- India fields a 75-member athletics squad in 41 of 50 events at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
- Neeraj Chopra is absent due to injury, replaced by Commonwealth Games medallist Yash Vir Singh.
- Avinash Sable and Tajinderpal Singh Toor return to defend their Hangzhou 2023 titles.
The red tartan of the Aichi-Nagoya track waits under the Japanese sky, white lane lines cutting sharp geometric paths through the green infield. For the next week, from September 23 to 29, the air will vibrate with the rhythmic thud of spikes and the heavy heave of shot putters as India’s largest athletics contingent in decades steps onto the global stage.
Seventy-five athletes will compete across 41 of the 50 available medal events, a massive logistical and athletic undertaking detailed in the schedule released by olympics.com. The squad is built on a foundation of returning champions, including steeplechaser Avinash Sable and shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who return to defend titles won in Hangzhou three years ago.
Champions Return to Defend Titles
Sable returns after a knee surgery that sidelined him from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, while hurdler Jyothi Yarraji eases back into competition following a long injury layoff. Toor seeks a historic third consecutive Asian Games gold in the shot put, a feat that demands both technical precision and raw power under the pressure of a continental final.
Parul Chaudhary, the 5000m champion from the previous Games, will test her endurance across three distinct distances: the 1500m, 5000m, and 3000m steeplechase. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar arrives with fresh momentum, having just secured a second Commonwealth Games silver, bringing a proven medal-winning pedigree to the sandpit.
Chopra Absence Shapes Javelin Lineup
The most significant gap in the Indian lineup is the absence of Neeraj Chopra, who will not defend his continental title due to an ankle injury. His slot has been filled by Commonwealth Games medallist Yash Vir Singh, who steps into a high-pressure role without the safety net of his senior counterpart’s presence.
The squad is further deepened by returning medallists like Rajesh Ramesh, part of the gold-winning 4x400m relay quartet, and a host of other Hangzhou medalists including Tejaswin Shankar and Gulveer Singh. This blend of veterans and rising stars creates a dense competitive environment where every attempt and every sprint carries the weight of national expectation.
Schedule Spans Seven Days of Action
The competition opens on Wednesday, September 23, with the half marathon race walks kicking off at 4:00 AM Indian Standard Time. The schedule is packed, with multiple finals and qualifying rounds often occurring within hours of one another, requiring athletes to manage their physical and mental energy with surgical precision.
By Thursday, the heptathlon and relays take center stage, while the sprints and jumps dominate the subsequent days. The marathon finals are scheduled for the early hours of Saturday morning, a grueling test that concludes the initial phase of the track and field program. With no representation in nine events, including the men's 110m hurdles and women's marathon, India’s focus is intensely concentrated on the disciplines where its athletes hold the strongest historical claims.
