Neeraj Chopra named in India's CWG athletics squad despite injury woes

The Athletics Federation of India named India's 32-member Commonwealth Games squad on Sunday, June 14. Headlined by sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur, the squad also includes Neeraj Chopra, who is currently recovering from his back injury.

In Short

• India announce 32-member athletics squad for CWG 2026
• The tournament is being hosted in Glasgow and will start on July 23
• Injured Neeraj Chopra has been named in India's squad

Injured javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been provisionally added to India's 32-member athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games 2026. The Athletics Federation of India named a strong contingent, headlined by sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur, who recently traded the national 100m record between them.

The squad includes most of India's notable names in track and field, including decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, among others.

Indian athletics witnessed several standout performances en route to selection for the CWG squad. During the Federation Cup 2026, held in Ranchi in May, several Indian stars shattered national records while breaching the qualification mark.

The biggest miss perhaps is the men's 4x100m relay team, which dropped the baton at the World Relays in Botswana earlier in May. Third-leg runner Ragul Kumar fell on the track while attempting to hand over the baton to Gurindervir Singh, leading to a disqualification.

Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur had run the opening two legs. Kumar, who appeared to be in discomfort, had to be assisted off the track by volunteers.

The team, however, made a strong comeback in Heat 3 later and later recorded 39.07 seconds, albeit finishing last in their group, which included strong teams like South Africa and Great Britain. India's nearest competition at the upcoming Asian Games, China, finished over a second ahead of the team.

Notably, only the javelin throwers were unable to qualify for CWG 2026 at the Ranchi event and were given one more chance in Jalandhar on June 13 to prove their mettle. Young Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh breached the 82.61m qualification mark set by AFI with career-best throws.

INDIA'S CWG 2026 ATHLETICS SQUAD

1. Gurindervir Singh - 100m
2. Animesh Kujur - 200m
3. Gulveer Singh - 5000m / 10000m
4. Tejas Ashok Shirse - 110m Hurdles
5. Yashas P - 400m Hurdles
6. Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan - 400m Hurdles
7. Sarvesh Anil Kushare - High Jump
8. Adarsh Ram J - High Jump
9. Dev Meena - Pole Vault
10. Kuldeep Kumar - Pole Vault
11. Sreeshankar M - Long Jump
12. Lokesh Sathyanathan - Long Jump
13. Praveen Chithravel - Triple Jump
14. Selva Prabhu# - Triple Jump
15. Samardeep Singh Gill - Shot Put
16. Tajinderpal Singh Toor — Shot Put
17. Neeraj Chopra# - Javelin Throw
18. Rohit Yadav - Javelin Throw
19. Yash Vir Singh - Javelin Throw
20. Tejaswin Shankar - Decathlon / High Jump
21. Parul Chaudhary - 3000m SC / 5000m
22. Pooja - High Jump
23. Manpreet Kaur - Shot Put
24. Seema - Discus Throw
25. Nidhi Rani - Discus Throw
26. Ravina - 10000m Race Walk
27. Priyanka - 10000m Race Walk
28. Vishal TK — 400m / 4x400m Mixed Relay
29. Rajesh Ramesh - 400m / 4x400m Mixed Relay
30. Ansa Babu - 400m / 4x400m Mixed Relay
31. Rashdeep Kaur - 400m / 4x400m Mixed Relay
32. Neeru Pathak - 400m / 4x400m Mixed Relay

NEERAJ CHOPRA'S INJURY WOES

Among the 32 athletes named in India's Commonwealth Games squad, only javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and triple jumper Selva Prabhu are being monitored ahead of the event.

Neeraj is currently recovering from injury in Switzerland and there is no clarity yet on his competitive return. The javelin thrower recently pulled out of the Doha Diamond League after breaching the coveted 90m mark for the first time in his career there last year.

However, AFI stated that Neeraj had recovered from his back injury and would be returning to action in the next 10 days. The body stated that Neeraj assured the federation that he would be participating in competitions before the Commonwealth Games. If Neeraj breaches the qualificatioin mark, we will be eligible for the Glasgow tournament.

Apart from Neeraj, the AFI stated that Selva will also be monitored ahead of the competition, although the reason remains unclear as the triple jumper won the gold medal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships just a day before the squad was announced.

Selva jumped 16.92m, breaching the 16.89m qualification mark set by the AFI.

- Ends