Two-part CWG athletics prevew

Glasgow (Indian) preview part I

With time almost running out for attempting an assessment of the Indian athletics team at Glasgow, here is an analysis of the events in which Indian athletes figure in the Commonwealth Games.

The year 2010 was an exceptional year for Indian athletics. A dozen medals in the Commonwealth Games followed by 11 medals in the Asian Games in Guangzhou gave a healthy picture of the sport in the country. But the scourge of doping came up in 2011 to almost negate the sense of “well being” that had developed post-2010 CWG.

Since then Indian athletics has been on top of the dope charts around the world, along with Russia. We can dismiss this phenomenon arguing that it is the “lower level” athletes who are doing this in order to gain employment in Government departments or it is the “recreational athletes” etc. The fact remains doping is deep-rooted in Indian athletics.

It is natural only that the performance of 2010 would not be repeated in Glasgow. Home advantage is of considerable importance in any sport, especially so in athletics, as it turned out in the New Delhi Games. Four medals this time should be a fair target for India. Anything more will be a bonus. The least could be a medal each in men’s and women’s discus.

The 32-member Indian athletics squad at Glasgow includes three relay teams, the men’s 4x400 and the women’s 4x100 and 4x400, accounting for 18 members of the overall team. Initially the men’s 4x100 team was also chosen but despite three attempts it could not  come close to the cut-off mark of 39.35s.

Assessment

Here is an assessment of India’s prospects in the athletics events at Glasgow

Men 

110m hurdles-With a best 13.84 in Lucknow, Siddhanth Thingalaya was still well short of the standard of 13.64 to gain selection. Eventually the selectors  considered his season best 13.76 in the US and his potential to provide him the chance. He had missed a qualification norm for London Olympics as he came crashing down in Brussels, Belgium while posting a national record of 13.65s, injuring his hamstring in the process. The 23-year-old Maharashtra man is a talented hurdler but in world-class company he may find it difficult to cross the first round. Heats and final July 29.

Triple jump-

Renjith Maheswary’s failure to achieve a standard and young Arpinder Singh’s sensational National record of 17.17 at the Lucknow inter-State meet were some of the highlights of the build-up for these Games. With that 17-metre-plus mark 21 year-old Arpinder jumped to the top of the season lists for both the Commonwealth and Asian countries. He is a medal contender all right, but not the outright favourite. In fact there are no clear favourites in triple jump with the more experienced Phillips Idowu of England (second in CW list with 16.99m) showing inconsistency for the season. Lattario Collie-Minns of the Bahamas, World Youth champion in 2011, looked to have emerged as a strong contender early season with his 16.91 in the Kansas Relays, apart from his indoor effort of 16.80 in March. But in May he came down to 16.30. Arpinder also was down to 16.25 in the first week of July. The other contenders could be Englishmen Nathan Fox (PB 16.69 this season) and Nathan Douglas (PB 17.64, season best 16.65). It looks an open contest with Arpinder in with a chance to earn a medal to emulate Renjith’s feat in 2010. Prelims Aug 1, final Aug 2.

Shot put-

Om Prakash Singh Karhana went to the US to train this season instead of his normal base  at Szombathely, Hungary.  He is reported to have crossed the standard of 19.79 in some meet in the US. His selection was not a smooth affair. His recorded best for the season, available on the IAAF website is 19.02 . There are two athletes, Kiwi Tom Walsh (21.23) and Jamaican O’Dayne Richards (21.11) who are in the 21-metre-plus bracket among Commonwealth athletes. Then there are at least six others in the 20-metre group this season. It will be tough for Om Prakash to get a decent placing. Prelims July 27, final July 28.

Can Gowda win the gold?

Discus- 

All Indian eyes would be on Vikas Gowda. He had taken the silver at home last time and has risen in stature since, making the London Olympics final and being a consistent top 10 performer in the world. With Jamaican Fedrick Dacres, season leader among CW athletes at 66.75, who is also a former World Youth and Junior champion, not named in his country’s squad, it will now come down to a straight contest between Gowda and Australian Ben Harradine, the defending champion. Harradine is slightly ahead for the season at 65.94. That should not matter at all. What may matter is the fact that Harradine has better consistency through his career and this season for marks over 65 metres. The Australian has crossed 63 metres eight times (not counting within series) this season from 11 meets while Gowda has done that four times from seven meets. Harradine has the edge in overall head to head at 7-6, with scores alevel at 1-1 this season. Gowda was fifth at Hengelo where Harradine was sixth while Harradine was sixth at New York where Gowda was eighth.

Harradine has a personal best of 68.20 and has another 67-plus career mark apart from four other marks over 66 metres. Gowda, in contrast, has a PB of 66.28 which is the National record he set at Norman, USA, in April, 2012. He has not crossed 66 metres since. The Mysore-born US-based 31-year-old Indian has three other performances over 65 metres.

The other strong contender in discus could be Julian Wruck, also of Australia, a 11^th place finisher at the 2013 World Championships. The 23-year-old Wruck was eighth at the Delhi CWG. He has shown good form this season with a best of 65.01 and has six other marks over 63 metres. Jamaica’s  31-year-old Jason Morgan (PB 67.15, SB 64.12) could also be a contender for a minor medal.

Prelims July 30, Final July 31.

Hammer-

One little known fact this season has been the National record of 70.37 set by Kamalpreet Singh in the US. He was still slightly short of the then standard of 70.58. Once Chandrodaya Singh, with his 69.34 at Lucknow, was chosen, it became clear that the AFI had gone back to the third place of the New Delhi Games which happened to be 69.34. Kamalpreet’s fate still hung in the balance since he had apparently not sought the clearance from the federation before leaving for US for training and competitions. He could be a minor medal contender in Glasgow. Jim Steacy of Canada (SB 75.27), Nick Miller (74.38) and Alex Smith (73.52) of England and Mark Dry (73.27) and Chris Bennett (72.58) of Scotland are the main contenders.

Prelims July 28, Final July 29

Three men to try to emulate coach

Javelin-

India surprisingly has three representatives in this event. Kashinath Naik, now a coach in the current team, had won a surprise bronze on the last occasion. There is little possibility of a medal for India this time. The best Indian this season, Ravinder Singh Khaira (78.02) is only eighth best in the field, headed by Kenyan Julius Yego (84.44) who was seventh in the 2010 CWG but was a finalist in the London Olympics and was fourth at the 2013 World Championships. The favourite could still be London Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, though his season best is only 83.94.

Walcott has a 3-1 record against Yego, but the Kenyan’s lone finish ahead of the Olympic champion came this season, at Shanghai, where he took fourth and Walcott ended up seventh. Closer to the Games, it is Walcott who has shown the touch that matters with an 82.90 at Sopot on July 20. It should be close fight between Walcott and Yego.

Among the other contenders are Australians Joshua Robinson (SB 82.48) and Hamish Peacock (SB 82.24), South African Rocco vn Rooyen (SB 80.10) and Kiwi Stuart Farquar (SB 79.69) who was silver medallist in New Delhi.

India’s second and third entries, Devinder Singh (SB 76.60) and Vipin Kasana (SB 75.57) can only hope for a place in the final. Javelin was one of the events in which the AFI diluted its norms from the original standards, going back to the third place of the New Delhi Games rather than pegging it to match the performance at the Melbourne Games in 2006. Prelims Aug 1, final Aug 2.

4x400m relay-

The selection criterion was 3, 03.97. The team managed only 3,06. The argument in favour was generally these athletes do not get any exposure and it could be a good build up for the Asian Games.  At least eight Commonwealth countries have clocked better than 3,05 this season, with the Bahamas at 2,57.59. A forecast is meaningless here. Let the team gain some experience. Prelims Aug 1, Final Aug 2.
(Women's preview in part-2)