The 2023 Athletics World Championships are here. The 27-member contingent heading to Budapest is probably the best prepared in Indian athletics history. More than a few will be looking to medal; veterans will look to improve on their previous results; and rookies will look to set a platform on which to build heading into the Olympic year.
Going by form and competition, we’ve cracked the numbers to let you know what to realistically expect from the Indians in action over the next week and a half.
Men’s Javelin Throw (Qualification - August 25, Final - August 27)
Neeraj Chopra
FILE PHOTO: Neeraj Chopra. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Personal Best (PB) - 89.94m
Season’s Best (SB) - 88.67m
Previous best at World Championships - 2nd (2022)
Target - Podium
Kishore Jena
FILE PHOTO: Kishore Jena. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR/THE HINDU
PB - 84.38m
SB - 84.38m
Previous best at World Championships - first appearance
Target - Final
D P Manu
FILE PHOTO: Manu D P. | Photo Credit: K MURALI KUMAR/THE HINDU
PB - 84.35m
SB - 84.33m
Previous best at World Championships - first appearance
Target - final
World Leader - Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic) - 89.51m
Only an unfortunate elbow injury to Rohit Yadav prevented India from fielding an unprecedented four athletes competing in the javelin throw at the World Championships. Yadav reached the final in what was his World Championships debut, and it could well be the turn of either Kishore Jena or DP Manu to replicate that achievement in Budapest. The highest cutoff to make the javelin throw final in World Championships history came in 2019, when the 12th highest throw in the competition came at 82.26m. Both Manu and Jena have done better than that this season. Jena has thrown over 80m in three competitions this year, including throws of 82.87m at the Inter State Championships in June and a personal best of 84.38m in Sri Lanka last month. That last throw places him 11th in the top lists this year.
READ - World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023: Schedule of Indian athletes, full squad
DP Manu too started the season with throws of 84.33m at the Indian Grand Prix, taking him 13th in the top lists for the year, and 82.95m at the Federation Cup in May. While he had a subpar Open Nationals, he bounced back with a silver medal-winning throw of 81.01m at the Asian Championships.
While Jena and Manu will target a place in the final and potentially a top-eight finish, India’s best hope for a medal across the 28-member contingent will be Olympic champion and 2023 World silver medallist Neeraj Chopra. Although he doesn’t have the biggest throw of the year—his 88.07m throw at the Doha Diamond League takes him third on the top lists for the season—he has beaten both Jakub Vadlejch and Julian Weber, who are first and second on the top lists. Neeraj had a bit of an injury scare following the Doha Diamond League but bounced back strongly with an 87.66m throw that saw him win the Lausanne Diamond League in June.
While Neeraj will be looking to win his first ever World Championship gold, he will want to keep a wary eye out on the rest of the field. The 2023 season has been surprisingly subdued, with not a single throw over 90m so far. The big throws might come out at the World Championships, which would be as good a place as any for Neeraj to get into the 90m club as well.
Women’s Javelin Throw (Qualification - August 23, Final - August 25)
Annu Rani
FILE PHOTO: Annu Rani. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
PB - 63.82m
SB - 59.24m
Previous best at World Championships - seventh (2022)
Target – Season’s best
World Leader - Haruka Kitaguchi (Japan) - 67.04m
Annu Rani just about qualified for the World Championships on the basis of her ranking, but she is a long way off her best. She has yet to make a throw over 60m this season—her worst showing in five years. Even her best of 59.24m came at the very start of the season and her most recent performance saw her only throw 54.76m at the Hylo Javelin meet earlier this month. Thirty-two of the 36 competitors at the World Championships have thrown further than the Indian this year. Her chances of advancing to the final and getting a third top-eight finish at the World Championships are unlikely.
Women’s Long Jump (Qualification - August 19, Final - August 20)
Shaili Singh
FILE PHOTO: Shaili Singh. | Photo Credit: K MURALI KUMAR/THE HINDU
SB - 6.76m
PB - 6.76m
Previous best result at Worlds -- Competing for the first time
Target - Final
World Leader - Ackelia Smith (Jamaica) - 7.08m
At 18 years old, junior world silver medallist Shaili Singh is among the youngest competitors in the women’s long jump at the Athletics World Championships. Although she began her season strongly, leaping into second on the all-time Indian list with a mark of 6.76m, a bout of COVID-19 cost her training time. Since her return, she has eased back into competition with jumps of 6.65m in Japan, 6.49m at the Inter State Championships in Bhubaneswar, and a 6.54m jump for silver at the Asian Championships. Her best jump this season has placed her only 25th amongst the competitors at the world championships. However, Shaili has reason to believe she can beat what don’t look like great odds.
READ - Shaili Singh: The 19-year-old long jumper making big strides towards OIympic glory
For one, her field has diminished somewhat.
Defending World Champion Malaika Mihambo is missing the tournament with an injury. Sao Tome jumper Agate De Sousa, who also crossed 7m this season, is not competing either. Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith, who has the best jump this year at 7.08m, has cleared more modest distances of 6.69m, 6.88m, 6.66m and 6.70m in subsequent events. Jasmine Moore, who had a 7.03m jump at the start of the season, has only jumped 6.43m, 6.66m, 6.74m and 6.40m in her last four competitions this year. Jazmin Sawyers, who also had a 7m indoor jump at the start of the year, has jumped 6.77m, 6.59m and 6.67m in her last three events before the Worlds.
Shaili’s first task would be to make the finals, which is achievable. In the history of the World Championships, the highest cutoff to make the final was 6.68m at the 2015 Worlds; in most other years, that mark is in the 6.55m range. Indeed, should Shaili jump around the 6.60m mark, she has a strong chance of making the finals and matching Mayookha Johny’s feat in 2011. Emulating coach Anju Bobby George’s achievement of bronze in 2003 will likely prove to be a harder test.
Men’s Long Jump (Qualification - August 23, Final - August 24)
Jeswin Aldrin
FILE PHOTO: Jeswin Aldrin | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
PB - 8.42m
SB - 8.42m
Previous best at World Championships - 20th (2022)
Target - Podium
Murali Sreeshankar
FILE PHOTO: M. Sreeshankar. | Photo Credit: AP
PB - 8.41m
SB - 8.41m
Previous best at World Championships - seventh (2022)
Target – podium
World leader - Jeswin Aldrin - 8.42m
Jeswin Aldrin and Murali Sreeshankar are first and second in the top lists for best outdoor jump this season—the first time two Indians will have that accomplishment going into the World Championships. Both have made it to Budapest after meeting the qualification standard and are in decent form as well.
Aldrin started off the year with a bang and a jump of 8.42m at the Indian Jumps Competition but endured a spell of poor form following a bout of COVID-19. He bounced back with a jump of 8.22m in Switzerland earlier this month, which is his biggest jump overseas.
Sreeshankar, meanwhile, cleared 8.37m in his last competition prior to the world championships to take silver at the Asian Championships in Thailand. The effort at the continental championships was the fifth time he has crossed the 8m barrier in seven tournaments this year. Having made the final and finished seventh at Eugene last year, Sreeshankar should be backing himself to do much better. On the basis of the current form, Aldrin should be aiming for a similar result. While Sreeshankar hasn’t had the best results in Europe—his best jump on the continent was 8.09m at the Paris Diamond League in June—both he and Aldrin will go in as potential medal winners. The only factor holding him and Aldrin back from a podium finish could simply be the fact that neither has medalled at a world-level event before.
Women’s 100m Hurdles (Heats - August 22, Semifinal - August 23, Final - August 24)
Jyothi Yarraji
FILE PHOTO: Jyothi Yarraji (second from left) | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR / The Hindu
SB - 12.78s
PB - 12.78s
Previous best at World Championships -- first appearance
Target – Final
World Leader - Nia Ali (USA) - 12.30s
Jyothi Yarraji is coming into the World Championships with the confidence of breaking her own Indian national record, having clocked a time of 12.78s to take bronze at the World University Games. Yarraji has gone sub-13 seconds in seven races this year already and would probably have broken that barrier at the Asian Championships if she hadn’t misstepped despite still managing to win gold. While Yarraji is already running faster than any Indian, she will have to go even faster if she has to make a mark in the Worlds. She is only the 25th fastest out of the 45 competitors in Budapest. While much depends on which heat she is placed in, history and current form suggest she will at least make the semifinals. While the fact is that Tobi Amusan is not going to be defending her world title in Budapest and some historically slow semifinals have seen athletes qualifying for the finals with times of 12.86s (Kendra Harrison in 2017) and 12.95s (Kirsten Bolm in 2009), it is likely that Yarraji will have to set a new personal best if she has hopes of reaching an unprecedented sprint final.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase (Heats - August 19, Final - August 22)
Avinash Mukund Sable
FILE PHOTO: India’s Avinash Sable. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
PB - 8:11.20s
SB - 8:11.63s
Previous best at Worlds - 11th place (2022)
Target – Top 6
World leader - Lamecha Girma (Ethiopia) - 7:52.11s
Avinash Sable finished a disappointing 11th at last year’s World Championships but will still be India’s best bet in the track events in Budapest. He’s shaping up well after a season’s best of 8.11.63s at the Silesia Diamond League last month, just short of his personal best of 8.11.20s set last year. He’s a near certainty to make the final, and coach Scott Simmons has said Sable will fight for a place on the podium. While there’s no doubting Sable’s ability to make an upset—he split two Kenyans on the Commonwealth Games podium last year—he will be seriously tested in Budapest.
Since 2019, Soufiane El Bakkali (SB 7:56.68s) of Morocco and Ethiopian Lamecha Girma (7:52.11s) have landed on the podium in all three global steeplechase championships and will be the favourites to do so this time as well. Kenya’s 20-year-old star Simon Koech (SB 8.04.19s) is also expected to contest for a podium place. While gold last year went at 8:27.92s, that was a historically slow race and unlikely to be repeated. Sable’s season’s best places him 13th in the year’s top lists, but he will believe he can shave a few seconds off that. In a fast race, the goal for Sable would be to come close to the 8:05.00 seconds range, which could place the Indian in the top six.
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase (Heats - August 23, Final - August 27)
Parul Chaudhary
FILE PHOTO: Parul Chaudhary. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
PB - 9:29.51s
SB - 9:29.51s
Previous best at World Championships - 31st (2022)
Target - Final
World Leader - Jackline Chepkoech (Kenya) - 8:57.35s
Parul Chaudhary enters the world championships with the confidence of winning gold at the Asian Championships and recording a new personal best of 9:29.51s in the 3000m steeplechase at the start of the year. She has also set a new national record in the 5000m which suggests her steeplechase timing can likely improve further. Chaudhary’s personal best is only the 30th fastest out of the 38 competitors in Budapest, so getting a fast heat would help her prospects. While she won’t have it easy with only the top three runners in each of the three heats and the next six fastest runners qualifying for the final, Chaudhary has shown herself capable of running well in elite fields; she set a PB at last year’s worlds too.
Men’s Triple Jump (Qualification - August 19, Final - August 21)
Praveen Chithravel
FILE PHOTO: Praveen Chithravel. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU
SB - 17.37m
PB - 17.37m
Previous best result - 17th (2022)
Target – Top 6 finish
Abdulla Aboobacker
FILE PHOTO: Abdulla Aboobacker. | Photo Credit: AFP
SB - 16.92m
PB - 17.19m
Previous best result - 19th (2022)
Target - Final
Eldhose Paul
FILE PHOTO: Eldhose Paul. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
SB - 16.75m
PB - 16.99m
Previous best result - ninth (2022)
Target- Final
World Leader - Jaydon Hibbert (Jamaica) 17.87m
India has qualified the same three triple jumpers for the second World Championships in a row. While it was Eldhose Paul who created history in Eugene, becoming the first Indian triple jumper to make the final of the World Championships, and later in Birmingham, where he became the first Indian to win triple jump gold at the Commonwealth, he’s no longer the best Indian bet this time around. Only four jumpers have a better jump than Praveen Chithravel, who set a new national record with a jump of 17.37m this season. He also won a silver medal at the Asian indoor championships at the start of the year and has cleared 17m in three of four outdoor competitions this year. While there might be some worries owing to the fact that he had a poor jump of 16.59m at the Diamond League in Monaco, Chithravel, it is learned, only decided to compete in that tournament on short notice in order to prove his fitness after injury concerns earlier this year. Abdulla Abubakar is also in fine touch, having won a gold medal at the Asian Championships last month. Abdulla had a slow start to the season but looks to be peaking at the right time with jumps of 16.88m at the Inter State Championships and 16.92m at the Asian Championships. While neither Abdulla nor Eldhose (SB 16.75m) have cleared the 17m mark this season, in contrast to 16 of the 38 athletes who will be there in Budapest, they should take confidence in the fact that the highest ever cutoff to make the final 12 of the triple jump is 16.96m. With Abdulla and Eldhose peaking at the right time and Chithravel having shown himself capable of pulling out the big jump this year, India could well have more than one finalist this year and potentially even the first ever top-eight finisher.
Men’s 1500m (Heats - August 19, Semifinals - August 20, Final - August 23)
Ajay Kumar Saroj
FILE PHOTO: Ajay Kumar Saroj. | Photo Credit: Twitter (@afiindia)
PB - 3:39.19s
SB - 3:39.19s
Previous best at Worlds -- didn’t compete
Target - Semifinal
World Leader - Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) - 3:27.14s
Ajay Kumar Saroj qualified for the World Championships having won his second Asian Championships in Bangkok last month. He also set a new personal best of 3.39.19 at Portland earlier this year. While he has been running in the 3.40.00 range this season, he will want to improve to be competitive at the world level – he is currently only the 259th fastest in the world this year.
READ - World Athletics Championships 2023: Top three contenders in men’s 1500m
With the top six in each heat and the next six fastest runners advancing to the semis, Saroj will find it tough in an all out race. However the 1500m can be a tactical affair and much will also depend on the pace set in Saroj’s heat. The final 1500 heat in the 2022 Worlds for instance saw a runner qualify for the semifinal with a time of 3.39.45. A semifinal finish and a new personal best will be a good result.
Men’s 400m Hurdles (Heats - August 20, Semifinals - August 21, Final - August 23)
Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan
FILE PHOTO: T. Santhosh Kumar (No. 921). | Photo Credit: M VEDHAN/THE HINDU
PB - 49.09s
SB - 49.09s
Previous best at Worlds -- First appearance
Target - Semifinal
World Leader - Karsten Warholm (Norway) - 46.51s
Santosh Kumar Tamilarasan qualified for the Budapest World Championships on the basis of his World Ranking of 35, which he achieved thanks to an impressive personal best of 49.09 that won him bronze at the Asian Championships in Bangkok. Although this places him second on the all-time Indian list, Santosh’s best is only 37th (out of a total of 45 competitors) amongst the field at the World Championships. At the same time, very few athletes hit their best in the heats; the last semifinal spot at last year’s World Championships went at 50.34. Anything close to his personal timing should see Santosh make the semifinals, equalling M. Jabir’s effort at the 2019 Worlds.
Men’s High Jump (Qualification - August 20, Final - August 22)
Sarvesh Anil Kushare
FILE PHOTO: Sarvesh Kushare. | Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout/THE HINDU
PB - 2.27m
SB - 2.26m
Previous best at Worlds -- First appearance
Target – Final
World Leader - Mutaz Barshim (Qatar) - 2.36m
Sarvesh Kushare qualified for the World Championships on the basis of his ranking, no doubt thanks to the silver he won at the Asian Championships with a season’s best of 2.26m. At last year’s World Championships, the last of the 12 finalists cleared a height of 2.25m albeit in his first attempt. Apart from the 2.26m he jumped in Bangkok, Kushare cleared heights of 2.24m (Indian Open Jumps Competition),, 2.22m (Federation Cup), and 2.24m (Inter State Championships) in the three other events he competed in this year. Spurred on by tougher competition, Kushare could well back himself to make the second day of the event if he matches his season’s or personal best. A place in the final would be a good target.
Men’s 800m (Heats - August 22, Semifinals - August 24, Final - August 26)
Krishan Kumar
FILE PHOTO: Krishan Kumar (No. 155). | Photo Credit: AFI
PB - 1:45.88s
SB - 1:45.88s
Previous best at World Championships - First appearance
Target - Semifinal
World Leader - Emmanuel Wanyoni (Kenya) - 1:43.27s
Krishan Kumar is in fine form after winning a silver medal at the Asian Championships in Thailand. He clocked a time of 1.45.88 there, which takes him to third fastest in the Indian all-time list. Competing at his first World Championships, though, Krishan will have his task cut out. Krishan only qualified on the basis of ranking. With only the top 56 ranked athletes being eligible for entry, Krishan was ranked 63rd overall, and with a limit of 3 athletes per country, he was ranked 44th. With only the three winners and the next six fastest runners (24 overall) going through to the semifinals, Krishan will probably have to run at or improve on his personal best if he is to advance to the second day of competition. A semifinal finish and a new personal best will be a good result.
Men’s 20km Race Walk (Final - August 19)
Paramjeet Singh Bisht
FILE PHOTO: Paramjeet Singh Bisht | Photo Credit: INSTAGRAM
SB - 1:20:08s
PB - 1:20:08s
Previous best at Worlds - didn’t compete
Akashdeep Singh
FILE PHOTO: Akashdeep Singh (840). | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR/THE HINDU
SB - 1:19:55s
PB - 1:19:55s
Previous best at Worlds - didn’t compete
Vikash Singh
FILE PHOTO: Vikash Singh. | Photo Credit: SAI Media/Twitter
SB - 1:20:05s
PB - 1:20:05s
Previous best at Worlds - didn’t compete
World Leader- Jun Zhang (China) - 1:17:38s
Indian Target – Top 20
India’s campaign at the World Championships starts off with the men’s 20km race walk on the first morning of the competition. Akashdeep Singh will come into the competition as the national record holder, having clocked a time of 1:19:55s at the Race Walking Nationals. That mark also made him the first Indian to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Among the 51 competitors who have qualified for the Worlds, Akashdeep is the 21st fastest this season; Vikash Singh (PB 1:20:05s) and Paramjit Bisht (1:20:08s) are 23rd and 25th, respectively. Akashdeep, though, will be short of confidence after being disqualified at the Asian Championships last month. He also finished 12th at the Nomi Race Walking Cup, behind both Vikash and Paramjit, who were seventh and eighth in that competition.
India has never come close to placing on the podium at this event; the best ever result is Babubhai Panucha’s 19th-place finish with a then national record of 1:23:06s at the 2009 Worlds. That will be the mark Indian competitors will want to improve on. However, with athletes rarely performing close to their personal best at the Worlds,the three Indians could potentially secure a top-15 finish if they race close to their seasons’ best.
Men’s 35km Race Walk (Final - August 24)
Ram Baboo
FILE PHOTO: Ram Baboo | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
PB - 2:29:56s
SB - 2:29:56s
Previous best at World Championships -- First appearance
Target – Top 15
World Leader - Xianghong He (China) - 2:22:55s
The 35km race walk is a relatively new event; Budapest marks only the second time it features at the world championships. Baboo is the 25th fastest in the world this year over the distance, but what is heartening is the fact that he has been steadily improving his timing since he began competing over this distance a couple of years ago and that he recorded his fastest time at an overseas competition in Europe—at the Dudinska 50 Racewalking Tour earlier this year. Anything close to that time will likely place him inside the top 20.
Mens’ 4 x 400m Relay (Heats - August 26, Final - August 27)
Amoj Jacob, Mijo Chacko Kurian, Arul Rajalingam, Rajesh Ramesh, Muhammed Ajmal, Muhammed Anas Yahiya
FILE PHOTO: Amoj Jacob | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
SB - 3:01.80s
PB 3:00.25s
Previous best at World Championships - 10th (2015)
Target- Sub 3:00.00s race
World Leader - USA - 2:57.78s
The Indian 400m relay team is shaping up well heading into the World Championships. Although it was pipped by Sri Lanka to the gold medal at the Asian Championships, the Indian quartet’s time of 3:01.80s was their best since setting a new national and continental record of 3:00.25s at the Tokyo Olympics. Last year, the team had been in dismal form, clocking 3:07.29s to exit in the heats of the World Championships and then 3:05.51s to finish seventh at the Commonwealth Games. Even as the Indian team faltered at the world championships, Japan snatched the continental record with a time of 2:59.51s at Eugene. The Indian team, which will be bolstered by the return to form of national record holder Muhammad Anas Yahiya, has made it clear that its goal will be to crack the three-minute barrier and seize back its Asian record.
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