India will not compete in Nanjing championships

Indian athletes will not attend the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025 in Nanjing, China. The event is set to take place from March 21 to 23. Despite five Indian athletes qualifying for the championships, they have chosen to skip the meet. The qualified athletes included Tejas Shirse and Madhvendra Shekhawat in the men's 60m hurdles, Jyothi Yarraji in the women's 60m hurdles, Ancy Sojan in the women's long jump, and Aishwarya Mishra in the women's 400m. They qualified through their performances but decided not to participate. Tejas Shirse and Madhvendra Shekhawat both recorded a national record time of 7.64 seconds recently. Jyothi Yarraji set an indoor national record of 8.04 seconds in January. Ancy Sojan's jump of 6.71 meters qualified her, while Aishwarya Mishra's 51.12 seconds run made her eligible for the 400m. Initially, India was supposed to compete in the women’s 4x400m relay. However, they also opted out of this event. The championships will feature around 500 athletes from 120 countries, competing for medals in 26 events. Notable competitors include six Olympic champions from the Paris 2024 Games, such as pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and hurdler Grant Holloway. Last year, India did not win any medals at the World Championships held in Glasgow. The country has never won a medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.