Indian athletics team to train across three European countries for Paris Olympics

The majority of the Paris 2024-bound Indian athletics team, including Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra, will undergo the final phase of their training across three European countries: Turkiye, Poland and Switzerland, for the upcoming Summer Olympics.

All 30 Indian athletes selected for Paris 2024 are scheduled to assemble in Paris on July 28, four days before the track and field competitions begin on August 1.

Ahead of Paris 2024, Neeraj Chopra will be based at the Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkiye. The Indian javelin throw ace has been training in Finland and Germany for the showpiece event.

The 26-year-old Chopra clinched a gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland last month and won’t be competing in any other meet before the Olympics.

Javelin thrower Kishore Jena, hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, long jumper Jeswin Aldrin, and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel reached Poland earlier this week and are training at the Olympic Sports Centre in Spala.

The Paris 2024-bound men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams, javelin thrower Annu Rani and shot put athletes Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Abha Khatua will also fly out to Poland on Thursday.

Steeplechasers Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary will train in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and join the other athletes in Poland on July 24 before departing for Paris.

Meanwhile, race walkers Akshdeep Singh, Paramjeet Singh Bisht, Vikash Singh and Suraj Panwar will be training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru before boarding the flight to Paris.

Triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker and middle-distance runner Ankita Dhyani will also train at SAI, Bengaluru.