Top 10 athletes from India who won’t compete in Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022

A 322-member Indian team, including 215 athletes, 107 officials, and support personnel, will represent India at the Commonwealth (CWG) Games 2022, which will take place in Birmingham beginning on July 28.

Here is a list of 10 Indian athletes who would be missing in Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, England.

 

1. Saina Nehwal (badminton) – Saina Nehwal, a two-time champion at the CWG, skipped the badminton trials for the multi-sport competitions. She questioned the necessity of holding trials when the playing schedule is jam-packed and claimed that players deserve more time to prepare for the trials. She did not want to put her body under physical stress by participating in the trials. The Badminton Association of India made it clear that only the top 15 players in the BWF rankings will be chosen directly; the remaining players will be chosen via the trials, which will include shuttlers with rankings from 16 to 50. Despite Saina’s letter to the BAI outlining the issues, her husband P Kashyap claimed that they did not respond.

 

2. Mary Kom (boxing) — Due to an injury, Mary Kom was unable to compete in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) trials. In the opening round of the 48kg division, the CWG defending champion got a strong start in her contest against Nitu Ganghas, a two-time Youth World Champion. Kom leaned away to slip a hit as the two boxers drew closer, but her knee gave way. Even though the referee called it a slip, Kom didn’t immediately rebound as she normally would have. She climbed slowly, shaking her leg as if to make it work once again. After a brief break, the fight was interrupted once more as it became evident that Kom was unable to bear any weight on her left leg. As soon as it became evident that Kom wouldn’t be able to recover, the referee proclaimed Neetu the winner by RSC (I).

 

3. Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put): Tajinderpal Singh Toor, a top shot putter from India, missed the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham because of a groyne injury he suffered before this year’s World Athletics Championships. Toor was hurt while practising for the World Championships in Chula Vista, California, where the Indian team was competing. Prior to the competition, he attempted a few practise throws but opted against participating since his adductor muscles, which connect the leg to the hip, were sore and the pain persisted. His qualification was dependent on how well he did in an event in Kazakhstan. He was one among the original 36 members of the Indian athletics team for the Games. The Asian record holder missed the CWG qualifying mark of 20.50m by 0.16m during in the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai last month. Prior to the injury, he had only thrown 19.96m in a competition in Chula Vista.

 

4. Dhanalakshmi (athletics): Sprinter S. Dhanalakshmi was disqualified from the Games and given a temporary suspension after testing positive for illegal substances a few days before the multi-sport competition. In a drug test carried out overseas by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the World Athletics, Dhanalakshmi, 24, tested positive for a prohibited steroid. She was a member of the athletics team for the Birmingham CWG. She was selected for both the 4×100-meter relay squad and the CWG 100-meter team.

 

5. Aishwarya Babu (high and triple jumper): A few days prior to the CWG, Aishwarya Babu tested positive for a prohibited substance. The 24-year-old Aishwarya’s dope sample was obtained by National Anti-Doping Agency authorities during in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Chennai last month and tested positive. She was disqualified from the Games and given temporary sanctions. The advancement of Aishwarya during the past several years has drawn criticism. She performed a 6.25m long jump and a 13.29m triple jump two years ago. Her triple jump mark increased from 13.55 in 2021 to 14.14 this year, and her long jump mark increased from 6.52m in 2021 to 6.73m this year.

 

6. Rani Rampal (hockey) – Rani Rampal, the star striker for the Indian women’s hockey team, was left off the 18-person roster after failing to fully recover from an injury. After recovering from a hamstring injury, Rani, who helped the Indian women to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, was selected for the most recent FIH Pro League matches in Belgium and the Netherlands. She didn’t play in the team’s first four Pro League games in Europe, casting doubt on her fitness. She ultimately did not compete in the just finished Women’s Hockey World Cup, when India tied China for ninth place.

 

7. Kamalpreet Kaur (discus throw)- On March 23, this Olympian won gold in the Indian Grand Prix II in Thiruvananthapuram by surpassing the 58-meter threshold necessary to compete in the Commonwealth Games. On May 4, World Athletics’ Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) posted on its website the temporary suspension of Kamalpreet Kaur. Kaur could be suspended for up to four years if the allegations are true. The sixth-place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics tested positive for stanozolol in an out-of-competition test done by AIU in India on March 29 of this year.

 

8. Vikas Krishnan (boxing): Vikas Krishnan defeated Wilfried Seynitsengue of Cameroon in the men’s 75 kg final by unanimous decision to win gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He made history by becoming the first Indian boxer to win gold at the Asian and Commonwealth Games. He was unable to compete in the Games this year since he did not show up for the Commonwealth Games boxing trials in June.

 

9. Jeswin Aldrin (long jumper): In April of this year, during the Federation Cup, Jeswin Aldrin made an incredible 8.26-meter jump that qualified him for the 8-meter Commonwealth Games. However, he was inconsistent and didn’t reach 8 metres in the following three events. His best jump was 7.71 metres in the Inter-State championship, the last event to qualify for the Games, while his finals jump was 7.51 metres. He was not chosen for the Commonwealth Games team as a result.

 

10. Shikha Pandey (cricketer): Shikha Pandey was unexpectedly removed from the Women’s World Cup roster this year and is thus not participating in the Commonwealth Games. No explanation for the rejection of the senior pacer was provided. The selectors’ choice, however, might have been influenced by rumours of a decline in form. The all-rounder, 33, played in his last Twenty20 international game during India’s tour of Australia in October 2021. She has amassed 207 runs and 40 wickets in 56 WT20I matches.