400+ Athletes, Seven Nations: Bhubaneswar Set for Inaugural BIMSTEC U23 Athletics Meet

India will field a strong 95-member track and field contingent at the inaugural BIMSTEC U23 Athletics Meet, scheduled to be held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from November 25 to 27. The seven-nation competition is expected to bring together more than 400 athletes over three days.

Leading India’s challenge will be promising Tamil Nadu sprinter Neil Samraj, who has been named in the men’s squad following an impressive performance at the recent National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai. Samraj won gold medals in both the 100m and 200m, setting U18 national records in the process. He will compete in both individual sprint events and the men’s 4x100m relay.

Abinaya Rajarajan is another prominent name in the Indian contingent. She will represent the country in the women’s 100m and is also part of the 4x100m relay squad.

The Indian team will compete across a wide range of track and field disciplines, including sprints, middle- and long-distance races, hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw and javelin throw. Both men’s and women’s teams will also participate in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay events.

The men’s squad features athletes such as Rushiprasad Desai, Sahil Malik, Akashdeep Singh, Rahul Sarnaliya, Gaurav Bhaskar Bhosale and Dharanidharan T, while the women’s contingent includes Bhavana G, Tanu Chaudhary, Prateeksha Yadav, Prachi Devkar, Sonam Parmar and Poonam.

The inaugural meet will feature participation from seven BIMSTEC member nations. Besides hosts India, athletes from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand will compete in the event.

The competition will provide a platform for emerging athletes from the region to test themselves against international opposition and gain valuable experience at the under-23 level.