Neeraj Chopra named in India's CWG athletics squad despite injury woes

Injured javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been provisionally added to India's 32-member athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games 2026. The Athletics Federation of India named a strong contingent, headlined by sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur, who recently traded the national 100m record between them.

The squad includes most of India's notable names in track and field, including decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, among others.

Indian athletics witnessed several standout performances en route to selection for the CWG squad. During the Federation Cup 2026, held in Ranchi in May, several Indian stars shattered national records while breaching the qualification mark.

The biggest miss perhaps is the men's 4x100m relay team, which dropped the baton at the World Relays in Botswana earlier in May.



Third-leg runner Ragul Kumar fell on the track while attempting to hand over the baton to Gurindervir Singh, leading to a disqualification.

Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur had run the opening two legs. Kumar, who appeared to be in discomfort, had to be assisted off the track by volunteers.

The team, however, made a strong comeback in Heat 3 later and later recorded 39.07 seconds, albeit finishing last in their group, which included strong teams like South Africa and Great Britain. India's nearest competition at the upcoming Asian Games, China, finished over a second ahead of the team.

Notably, only the javelin throwers were unable to qualify for CWG 2026 at the Ranchi event and were given one more chance in Jalandhar on June 13 to prove their mettle. Young Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh breached the 82.61m qualification mark set by AFI with career-best throws.