Omitted from the CWG squad, excessive jumper Tejaswin takes AFI to courtroom

Just days after the Athletics Federation (AFI) of India disregarded Tejaswin Shankar from their 2022 Commonwealth Games squad, regardless of him being the one excessive jumper to realize the qualifying customary of two.27m, the athlete has knocked on the doorways of the Delhi High Court by submitting a writ petition.

The writ petition filed on Monday, which has been listed for listening to in the present day, calls Tejaswin’s exclusion “arbitrary” and in addition states that the 23-year-old is a medal contender on the CWG as “only two high jumpers (Hamish Kerr and Django Lovett ) who will prospectively be competing at the CWG 2022 have a better jump than him this year.”

Tejsaswin, representing the Kansan State University, gained the excessive bounce NCAA championship final week with a greatest bounce of two.27m at Eugene, Oregon the place the upcoming World Championships will likely be held.

“A potential medal contender for the CWG Games has been arbitrarily excluded, despite meeting the eligibility mark set by the AFI. The decision is further illegal as Tejaswin ought to have been granted the exemption he sought as an elite athlete — in parity with the 3 others (Seema Punia, Neeraj Chopra, Avinash Sable) athletes who were given exemption from the inter-state competition on similar grounds. The current national record holder is being arbitrarily excluded at the whims of AFI and this action is absolutely against national interest,” advocate Malak Bhatt, who will likely be representing Tejaswin, informed this paper.

In its 37-member squad for the Commonwealth Games, introduced final week, the AFI had omitted notably Tejaswin Shankar and lengthy jumper Jeswin Aldrin who has achieved the qualifying tips (8 metres) and has the second-best bounce by an Indian this season.

Post the preliminary snub Tejaswin wrote to the federation looking for a trial in California the place the India crew is more likely to maintain a camp forward of the World Championships in Oregon. The federation was fast to reply saying that choice “was final” and each Tejsaswin and Jeswin wouldn’t be supplied with a trial.

On the day of the squad announcement, the AFI president mentioned Tejaswin had by no means sought an exemption for the Inter-State Meet not like Neeraj Chopra, Avinash Sable and Seema Punia.

“It was clearly mentioned on the website this was the last event where one could try to register the qualification standard for the CWG and Worlds. Tejaswin did not want to be selected. Mr Shankar did not ask to be exempted from the Inter-State Championships. He did not take permission from us before he competed in the USA,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla informed reporters after saying the crew on Thursday.

But the petition states that Tejaswin approached the chief nationwide coach Radhakrishnan Nair in February looking for exemption from the Interstate meet because it clashed with the NCAA championships within the US. “Mr Radhakrishnan had on 11.06.2022 intimated the Petitioner via WhatsApp that he would be considered by the Selection Committee based on his 2.27m jump at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championship 2022, and repeatedly inquired about the status of the Petitioner’s visa for the CWG 2022,” the petition, a replica of which is in possession of The Indian Express, said.

At the inter-state meet, one of the best bounce was 2.24m recorded by Anil Kushare. AFI determined to ship no entries for top bounce on the Commonwealth Games.

“I am extremely hopeful that the federation gives me one opportunity. I have already achieved the mark but I am ready to jump in front of them. The reason I was able to achieve the qualification mark in the first place was that I took part against a top field here. Even though I was participating here in the US my heart was just thinking about the CWG qualification,” Tejaswin had informed this paper when the squad was introduced.

The petition additionally mentions how a number of occasions Commonwealth Games medallist Seema Punia was included within the squad, topic to efficiency in trials, regardless of not reaching the qualifying mark but.

“Punia was included in the squad despite not having met the qualification standard in any competition this season (she has a best this season of 55.97m as against the qualification standard of 58m). Despite this, Ms Punia has been allowed in the team provided she secures the qualification standard at California,” the petition reads.