Neeraj Chopra to lead 73-member Indian athletics squad at Asian Games 2026

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will spearhead a 73-member Indian athletics contingent at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as the country looks to build on its record-breaking track-and-field performance at the previous edition. The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4. India's athletics squad comprises 35 men and 38 women and is the largest group within the 492-athlete Indian contingent cleared for the Games. Chopra will head to Japan seeking a third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in the men's javelin throw. He won the title at Jakarta in 2018 before successfully defending it at Hangzhou in 2023.

Chopra leads javelin challenge

Joining Chopra in the men's javelin event will be Rohit Yadav, who has returned strongly to competition and recently produced a personal best of 87.68m while winning a World Athletics Silver Level Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar. Chopra remains the biggest name in the athletics contingent and one of India's leading medal prospects, but the squad contains considerable experience across track and field events.

Sixteen members of the team have previously won medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, giving India a strong core of athletes with experience of succeeding at the continental level.

Five champions return

Apart from Chopra, Hangzhou individual champions Avinash Sable, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Parul Chaudhary and Annu Rani have been selected and will attempt to retain their Asian Games crowns.

Sable won the men's 3,000m steeplechase gold and 5,000m silver in Hangzhou. His inclusion is significant after an injury-affected period, with the distance runner returning to strengthen India's medal prospects in Japan.

Shot putter Toor will be chasing a hat-trick of Asian Games titles after winning gold at both Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2023.

Parul has been entered in three events — the women's 1,500m, 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase — giving her one of the heaviest programmes among India's leading athletes. Annu Rani, meanwhile, will defend her women's javelin title.

Hangzhou medallists bolster squad

Several other athletes who stood on the podium in Hangzhou are part of the team, including Jyothi Yarraji, Murali Sreeshankar, Tejaswin Shankar, Gulveer Singh, Mohammed Afsal, Ancy Sojan, Praveen Chithravel and Vithya Ramraj.

Rajesh Ramesh, who was part of India's gold medal-winning men's 4x400m relay team in Hangzhou, has also been included.

Tejas Shirse has been selected for the men's 110m hurdles despite suffering two stress fractures in his left foot during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. His presence gives India another potential contender in the hurdles.

The squad also includes established names such as long jumper Sreeshankar, long-distance runner Gulveer and decathlete Tejaswin, while Yarraji will again be among the country's leading prospects in women's hurdles.

India eyes another big haul

Athletics was one of the foundations of India's historic performance at the 2023 Asian Games. The country collected 29 medals in track and field in Hangzhou — six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze — its best-ever athletics haul at the continental Games.

That performance has raised expectations ahead of Aichi-Nagoya, with athletics again likely to make a major contribution to India's overall medal tally.

The Sports Ministry has cleared 492 Indian athletes across 35 disciplines for the Games, including 265 men and 227 women. Athletics, with 73 competitors, has the largest representation of any sport in the Indian contingent.

With established champions returning alongside a new generation of medal contenders, India's track-and-field squad will travel to Japan carrying both considerable experience and expectations. Chopra's attempt at a third successive javelin crown will headline the campaign, but India's ambitions extend across the track, jumps, throws, distance events and relays.