Eight Keralites in 54-member Indian team for Asian c’ships

Kochi: Eight Keralites including star long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and long-distance runner Jinson Johnson are part of the 54-member Indian team for the Asian Athletics Championships, to be held in Bangkok from July 12 to 16. Muhammed Ajmal, Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Mohammed Afsal, Jinson Johnson, Abdulla Aboobacker, Ancy Sojan and Jisna Mathew are the other Keralites in the Indian contingent which also include Asian record holder shot putter Tajinder Pal Singh Toor and new decathlon champion Tejaswin Shankar. The team, which has 26 women in it, was picked by the selection committee of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), which had set qualifying marks for the Asian Championships, after taking into account the performance of the athletes in the various competitions this season.A preliminary team for the continental meet was already picked after the Federation Cup in Ranchi in May. The National Inter-State Championships, which ended on Monday in Bhubaneswar, was used as the "confirmatory" event for those who have not participated in the Federation Cup.