Paris Olympics 2024: Yarraji set to be first Indian 100m hurdler to compete in Games

PTI, Jul 3, 2024, 9:10 AM IST

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New Delhi: Jyothi Yarraji is set to be the first Indian 100m hurdler to compete in the Olympics while shot putter Abha Khatua made a surprise cut through world rankings for the upcoming Paris Games.

The World Athletics on Tuesday published the list of those who made the cut through direct qualification by breaching entry standard as well as through world ranking quota.

It will, however, be up to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to select among those who made the grade through the world ranking quota.

The National Olympic Committees must inform WA of their intention to decline a quota by July 4 midnight. During the period from July 4-6, WA will reallocate the declined quota places to the next best ranked athlete in the same event. It will then publish the final list on July 7.

Yarraji ran 12.78 seconds in a Finland event in May, just one-hundreth of a second outside the automatic qualification time of 12.77 seconds. She is at 34th in the world ranking quota list while 40 athletes will compete in the event in Paris.

Khatua, who set a national record (18.41m) at the Federation Cup, was outside the world ranking quota place but her gold-winning performance (17.63m) at the National Inter-State Championships which ended on Sunday took her to 23rd spot while 32 athletes will compete in the Olympics.

High jumper Sarvesh Anil Kushare, who won gold at the National Inter-State Championships with an effort of 2.25m, also made the grade.

Javelin thrower DP Manu also made the cut but he is set to miss the Paris Games after his dope flunk last week. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena have already made direct qualification. Long jumper Jeswin Aldrin found himself just one place outside in the world ranking quota but he might just make the grade, provided AFI selects him. The World Athletics list included another Indian long jumper M Sreeshankar, who made automatic qualification but has been ruled out due to an injury.

Four men’s 20km race walkers had breached the automatic qualification mark and the AFI will have to pick three out of them.

A country can send only three athletes in an event.

Indian athletes who made Paris Olympics cut either by breaching qualification standard or through world ranking quota are Kiran Pahal (women’s 400m, direct), Parul Chaudhary (women’s 3000m steeplechase, direct; and 5000m, world ranking), Jyothi Yarraji (women’s 100m hurdles, WR), Abha Khatua (women’s shot put; WR), Annu Rani (women’s javelin throw, WR), Priyanka Goswami (women’s 20km race walk; direct), women’s 4x400m relay (qualified during assigned event), Avinash Sable (men’s 3000m steeplechase; direct), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (men’s high jump, WR), Abdulla Aboobacker and Praveen Chithavel (both men’s triple jump, WR), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put, WR), Neeraj Chopa and Kishore Jena (men’s javelin throw, direct), Akshdeep Singh, Ram Baboo, Vikash Singh and Paramjeet Singh Bisht (all men’s 20km race walk, direct; three out of the four to be picked), men’s 4x400m relay (qualified during assigned event), marathon race walk mixed relay (from among qualified race walkers).