Indian athletes will not be taking part at the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025 that is underway in Nanjing, the People’s Republic of China despite qualifying for the meet.
The competition began on March 21 and will conclude on March 23.
World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025: Indian Athletes Who Qualified
Five athletes from India had qualified for the meet including Tejas Shirse and Madhvendra Shekhawat (men’s 60m hurdles), Jyothi Yarraji (women’s 60m hurdles), Ancy Sojan (women’s long jump) and Aishwarya Mishra (women’s 400m). All had earned berths to the Nanjing meet via the Top Performers’ List but opted to skip the event.
Athletes could qualify for the indoor championships either by meeting the entry standard or through the Top Performers’ List.
Shekhawat, 21, matched Shirse’s national record of 7.64 seconds in the men’s 60m hurdles in Arizona earlier this month.
Yarraji, India’s top women’s hurdler, set a new indoor national record in the 60m hurdles with an 8.04s run in January.
Ancy Sojan recorded 6.71m at the National Open Championships in September while Aishwarya Mishra posted 51.12s in Dehradun made them eligible for the 400m.
According to the official entry list for World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025, India were listed to compete in the women’s 4x400m relay race but eventually opted not to field a team in that event as well.
Also Read: World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025 Nanjing: Top Stars To Watch
Around 500 athletes from around 120 countries are taking part at the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025. The competition features 26 events across three days at the Nanjing Sports Training Centre.
Last year, India failed to earn a medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland after Jeswin Aldrin finished 13th in the men’s long jump event and Praveen Chithravel placed 11th in the triple jump.
Notably, India have never won a medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.
