With its main bunch training in Europe, Indian athletes will not be in action in the first of the two-leg Asian Grand Prix series which begins in Chongqing, China, on Tuesday.
“Our elite athletes are currently training in Europe and the current phase of their training is not ideal for competition, hence we have not sent them to the Asian GP,” Radhakrishnan Nair, the Deputy National Coach, told Sportstar from Patiala on Monday night.
“Their ‘pre-competition phase’ starts by the middle of June, they will be competing in meets during this period. If they compete now, they will not be able to perform as we expect and hence will not gain anything by way of world-ranking points. And we don’t want to waste eight to nine days to go for China for nothing.”
The second leg of the AGP will also be held in Chongqing on June 7.
Meanwhile, Asian Games 1500m champion Jinson Johnson, Asian 1500m gold medallist P.U. Chitra and steeple chaser Avinash Sable will be leaving for international meets in Europe between June 15 and 20, revealed Radhakrishnan.
Gold for Arpinder
Asian Games champion Arpinder Singh won the triple jump gold in the Pezenas athletics meet in France, with a mediocre 15.85m while Praveen Chitravel was third with a poor 15.05m.
In other results in the same meet, V.K. Elakkiya Dasan won the men’s 100m in 10.74s and took the silver in the long jump with 7.48m while S. Dhanalakshmi won the women’s 100m silver in 12.15s and topped the 200m in 24.22s.
The four JSW Inspire Institute of Sports athletes are currently in France.
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