New Delhi: Racing Walker Bhawana Jat underwent a fitness test on Friday while two other Olympics athletes KT Irfan and M Sreedankar must prove their fitness in the coming days to confirm their participation in Tokyo’s game.
Bhawana and Irfan, the two Pacing Paced 20km, and a long Sreeshankar Jumper was told by the Indian Athletics Federation (AFI) to undergo a test to check their competition fitness.
The three are practicing at the Center for Indian Sports Authority (SAI) in Bengaluru.
“We can’t take an inappropriate athlete to the Olympics.
We must check when the athletes qualify for the Olympics, whether they are free or suitable for competition,” said President Afi Faire Sumariwalla told PTI.
“It’s just a fitness exam and we don’t see some qualifications (signs),” he added.
Irfan was the first trace and field athletes to qualify for the Olympics back in March 2019 during the Asian racing championship in Nomi, Japan.
His last competition was during the national race championship in March in Ranchi, where he did not resolve the race.
He has contracted Covid-19 in May and has recovered since then.
Bhawana has qualified for the Olympics by winning the event of 20 km of women at the 2020 National Racing Championship just before the pandemic hit.
He was behind behind other Olympic races Priyanka Goswami during the national racial championship this year in March in Ranchi.
“I underwent a fitness test today and I did it well.
I am satisfied with my appearance,” he said from Sai Center in Bengaluru.
Sreeshankar will also have a fitness test conducted in Bengaluru on July 21.
He qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in March during the National Federation Athletics Cup Championship.
But he withdrew from the national inter-country championship (June 25-29) just before the events after warming up in the field in Nis Patiala.
“Sreehankar had no problem, it was very moist in Patiala that day and we didn’t want him to be injured because he had qualified for the Olympics.
So he pulled away as a precaution,” his father said Murali.
“My child has been asked for a fitness test on July 21 in Sai Bengaluru.
It’s okay.
He will do it well and prove his fitness.” AFI has chosen the 26-member Indian team for the Olympics opened on July 23.
The trajectory and field events will begin on July 30 and athletes are expected to leave for Tokyo in the last week of this month.