AFI Names 12-member Indian Team For Asian Cross-Country Championships

AFI names 12-member Indian team for Asian Cross-Country Championships (Image Source: IANS)

World Athletics Cross Country Championships: Army’s Harmanjot Singh will be among the 12-member Indian team that will compete in the 18th Asian Cross-Country Championships scheduled for February 21 in Fukuoka, Japan.

The Indian team will leave Wednesday for Japan, said Bahadur Singh Sagoo, president of AFI (Athletics Federation of India).

The Indian athletes will compete in the senior men's, women's, and U20 groups. Harmanjot Singh will compete in the men’s 10km. Aditya Gurjar, Abhinandan Suryavanshi and Karan Ramesh Saranade will represent India in the men’s U20 category. The distance for the men’s U20 event is 8km.

The members of the women’s 10km team are Nandani Gupta, Ujala, Soniya and Munni Devi. Versha, Mani Yadav, Sonam Kumari and Aarju will compete in the women’s U20 group.

The AFI selected the national team based on the athletes' performance during the 60th National Cross-Country Championships held last month in Ranchi, Jharkhand, where 35 teams, including affiliated state units, participated.

Athletes from Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) had clinched senior men and women team titles at the National Cross Country Championships. Harmanjot Singh representing SSCB (Services Sports Control Board) was the winner of the men’s individual 10km event with a time of 30:33. The winner in the women’s individual 10km event was Nandani Gupta of RSPB, clocking 35:42.28.

The men’s U20 team title went to Uttar Pradesh (22 points). While Maharashtra took home the women’s U20 trophy (21 points).

Top four runners in each of the senior (men and women) and junior (men and women) groups are selected for the Indian team.

The national team also competed in the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships held on January 10 in Tallahassee, Florida (USA). In a highly competitive individual 10km Gulveer Singh was the leading Indian runner and finished 40th with a time of 30:39.

The Indian mixed relay team (4x2km) finished overall 12th with a time of 24 minutes 13 seconds. The members of the Indian mixed relay team were Ajay Saroj, Pooja, Yoonus Shah and Ankita.

Indian Team:

Men 10km: Harmanjot Singh.

U20 8km: Aditya Gurjar, Abhinandan Suryavanshi, Karan Ramesh Saranade.

Men 10km: Harmanjot Singh.

U20 6km: Versha, Mani Yadav, Sonam Kumari, Aarju.

Article Source: IANS