India Athletics at Asian Games 2026: Neeraj Chopra, Events and Squad
India Athletics at Asian Games 2026
Athletics is the backbone of any multi-sport Games and India’s track and field programme has grown significantly in both depth and ambition since Neeraj Chopra won the Tokyo 2020 Olympic javelin gold. India has won Asian Games athletics medals in javelin, long jump, triple jump, hammer throw, shot put, and middle-distance running — as well as through relay teams.
Neeraj Chopra and Javelin
Neeraj Chopra won Asian Games javelin gold at Jakarta 2018 with a throw of 88.06m, which remains the Asian record. He subsequently won Olympic gold in Tokyo (87.58m) and silver at Paris 2024. For Aichi-Nagoya 2026, Chopra is likely to target another Asian Games title as part of a continued competitive career. His main Asian rivals include Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set the world record at Paris 2024 with 92.97m, and Japan’s own javelin athletes who benefit from home-venue pressure.
Women’s Sprints and Field Events
Jyothi Yarraji has emerged as India’s strongest 100m hurdles athlete, winning at Asian level. Annu Rani is a consistent medallist in women’s javelin at Asian Games and Asian Championships. India’s sprint relay teams — 4×100m and 4×400m — have won medals at recent Asian Games and will be strong contenders again in 2026.
Key Athletics Events for India
| Event | Key Athletes | Medal Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Javelin | Neeraj Chopra | Gold |
| Women’s Javelin | Annu Rani | Bronze+ |
| 100m Hurdles (W) | Jyothi Yarraji | Gold |
| Long Jump (M) | Murali Sreeshankar | Silver+ |
| 4×400m Relay (M) | National squad | Gold |
| 4×400m Relay (W) | National squad | Gold |
India’s Athletics Development
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) runs a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) that funds elite athletes with international training, coaching, and competition exposure. Since 2016, India has sent athletes for training stints to Germany, the USA, and South Africa, producing a generation with international-standard technical coaching that simply was not available a decade ago.
Official source: World Athletics
