Asiad: Poonia, Gowda, in Athletics squad

New Delhi: All the Commonwealth Games medallists, except for woman discus thrower Seema Antil, were on Tuesday named in India's 69-strong athletics squad for the Asian Games starting in Guangzhou, China from November 12.

The Athletics Federation of India decided to send a big squad, the largest among 36 disciplines India will take part in the Asian Games, following the unprecedented success in the Commonwealth Games here last month.

India had won 12 medals (two gold, three silver and seven bronze) in the Commonwealth Games, the best ever performance by the country in the history of CWG.

The squad also has shot putter Saurabh Vij who had tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine and whose case is pending before a National Anti-Doping panel.

National record holder Antil, who had won a bronze in the CWG, missed out on the Asian Games bus as a country can name only two athletes in an event.

Krishna Poonia and Harwant Kaur, who had won gold and silver respectively in a clean sweep in the women's discus throw event in the CWG, were in the China-bound squad.

"In the CWG, we were allowed to field three athletes in an event but in the Asian Games there is a restriction of two athletes in an event. So, Antil missed out," AFI secretary Ravinder Chaudhry said.

"Indian athletics team is ready to continue the CWG good show in the Asian Games. We are sending our best 69 athletes including all the medal winners of Commonwealth Games. We had a good season at the national athletics front this year and now the focus has turned towards the Asian Games," he said.

All the 69 athletes named for the Asian Games were in the CWG squad.

Besides Poonia, the only Indian woman athlete to win an individual gold in the Commonwealth Games, and Kaur, the women's 4X400m quartet of Sini Jose, AC Ashwini, Manjeet Kaur and Mandeep Kaur, who won gold in the CWG, are also in the Asian Games squad.

The China-bound squad has the CWG-bronze winning women's 4x100m relay team of Geetha Satti, Srabani Nanda, P K Priya and H M Jyothi. It also has CWG bronze-winning men's 4X100m relay quartet of Rahamatulla Molla, Krishnakumar Rane, Shammer Mon and Mohd Abdul Qureshi.

Other CWG medal winners in the Asian Games squad are Kavita Raut (womens' 10,000m race), Harminder Singh (men's 20km race walk), Renjith Maheswary (men's triple jump), MA Prajusha (women's long jump), Kashinath Naik (men's javelin throw), Vikas Gowda (men's discus throw).

Asian leader in women's 800m race Tintu Luka is also in the squad.