No Asian Games for Seema Punia, Vipin Kasana?

NEW DELHI: The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) may be forced to pick a depleted squad for the forthcoming Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang. This after India’s two leading athletes – discus thrower Seema Punia and men’s javelin thrower Vipin Kasana – decided to skip the National Inter-state meet in Guwahati, a qualifying event for the Asiad made mandatory for participation by the AFI.
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Punia and Kasana’s no-show at the Guwahati meet (June 26 to 29) would mean that they won’t be considered for the Asiad selection by the AFI, effectively putting an end to their hopes of representing India there.
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AFI had earlier announced that only those athletes who compete at the meet will get a chance to go to Asiad. The federation had followed the same criteria while selecting the squad for the Gold Coast CWG, making the participation at the Federation Cup qualifier in Patiala must.
This time too, there’s a possibility that the AFI may struggle to name a strong Indian contingent for the Asiad. Already some established stars are missing, including recently-retired discus thrower Gowda, high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and triple jumper Renjith Maheshwary.
However, it’s Punia’s pullout which will hurt the AFI the most, considering she won gold at the Incheon Asiad in 2014. Recently, at the Gold Coast CWG, she clinched silver in a tough field.
According to AFI sources, both Punia and Kasana have offered no justification for skipping the meet. They hadn’t submitted their names for inclusion in the official entry list. Three-time Olympian Seema’s no-show will also raise some eyebrows at the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The sports body had recently included her in the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme, describing her a medal prospect.