New Delhi, Oct 7 (FN Representative) The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Monday named an eight-member senior squad for the upcoming Asian Cross Country Championships 2024, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong on October 20. Among the athletes heading to Hong Kong is long-distance runner Gulveer Singh, who recently clinched a bronze medal in the 10,000m men’s event at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Singh, 26, has been in stellar form, breaking his own national record in the 5000m event at the Yogibo Athletics Challenge Cup 2024 held in Niigata, Japan, with an impressive time of 13:11.82. He had previously set the national record earlier this year at the Portland Track Festival in the United States, clocking 13:18.92, overtaking compatriot Avinash Sable. Joining Singh on the men’s team is his training partner Kartik Kumar, the silver medallist in the 10,000m at the Hangzhou Asian Games, who recently secured victory at the Bengaluru Marathon.
Also part of the squad are Abhishek Pal, a bronze medallist from the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships held in Bangkok, and Arun Rathod. The women’s contingent will feature Ankita, Seema, Sanjivani Jadhav, and Sonika. Both Ankita and Sanjivani are decorated athletes, with Asian Championships medals to their names. Ankita, in particular, competed in the women’s 5000m at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, the AFI has selected four junior men and four junior women athletes for the meet in Hong Kong. Following the Asian Cross Country Championships, the Indian squad is also set to compete in the South Asian Cross Country Championships in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 24. However, the participation of athletes in Pakistan will be contingent upon their fitness, with unfit athletes being dropped from the squad.