Third National Open Javelin Throw Championships: Throwers from Uttar Pradesh will make their presence felt in the men’s group

Throwers from Uttar Pradesh are leading the table in the men’s category of the third National Open Javelin Throw Championships scheduled to be held here on Saturday and Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Of the 16 entries the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has received in the men's category for the weekend competition, 50 percent are from Uttar Pradesh. Two throwers from Maharashtra are in the field while Bihar, Odisha Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand represent one each in the senior group.

Since some of the leading javelin throwers, including Haryana's Sahil Silwal and Rohit Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, are in the national camp, they will skip the national championships.

At the Tokyo Olympic Games, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian athlete to have won a gold medal in the men's javelin throw event. Post celebrations and personal commitments, Neeraj recently joined the national camp in Patiala.

Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of athletes in other categories as well at the Third National Open Javelin Throw Championships

In the under-20 boys’ javelin group, eight competitors are in the fray for a podium finish. Athletes from four states, including Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, will compete in the U20 group.

Of the 16 entries in the U18 boys' category, Rajasthan will field two throwers. Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, and West Bengal each have one.

The majority of the athletes in under-16 boys’ javelin group are also from Uttar Pradesh. Of the 20 entries, Uttar Pradesh has seven athletes.

Haryana and Delhi have three each. Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Maharashtra are other states having one thrower each in this group.

The response in the women’s javelin section, however, has been lukewarm. Six throwers are in the fray for a podium finish. Athletes from Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi will compete in the women’s section.

The field is moderate in the under-20 girls’ group. Only nine competitors will be seen in action, namely from states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The field is not huge in under-18 girls’ section. Only 11 throwers are eligible to compete in this group.

The majority of athletes in the U18 group are from Uttar Pradesh. Throwers from Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra will also be seen in action in the U18 category.

There are 11 athletes in the U16 girls’ javelin section.

On Saturday, the opening day of the competition, the qualifying round will take place in the U16 boys’ section. The top 12 will advance to the medal round.

There will be direct finals in the U16 and U18 girls' sections due to fewer number of entries received by the AFI.

On Sunday, the final day of the competition is divided into morning and evening sessions. Finals in all categories are scheduled for the evening session.

For age verification of the athletes, the AFI medical panel will examine the competitors between 9 to 11 am on Saturday at the venue. The AFI will also distribute bib numbers to the athletes between 9 to 11 am at the venue.

As per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) guidelines of the government to resume sports activities post lockdown due to pandemic, athletes will also have to show negative RTPCR Covid-19 report issued 72 hours before the start of the competition.

The AFI has also rejected as many as 33 entry forms as the athletes failed to furnish proper documents to compete in the national competition.