Apart from the foot pacers Katie Irfan and Javelin thrower Shivpal Singh, who qualified for the Olympics, Farrata runner Duti Chand was included in the core group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The Sports Ministry gave this information on Sunday. Spear throw star Neeraj Chopra and top Farrata runner Hima Das have been retained in the Topps core group after a performance review that qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Seven players of track and field have also been included in the Topps Developmental Group after the Mission Olympic Cell meeting on 26 November.
“The decision to include the players in the Topps core group has been made on the basis of progress in their performance and greater likelihood of qualification or qualification for next year’s Tokyo Olympics,” the ministry said in a press release. Apart from Shivpal, Irrfan and Duti, Anu Rani (women’s javelin throw), Arokia Rajeev (men’s 400m and 4x400m relay), Noh Nirmal Tom (men’s 400m and 4x400m relay), Alex Anthony (men’s 400m And four times 400 meters relay), MR Poovamma (women’s 400 meters and four times 400 meters relay) also got a place in the Topps core group.
High jump national record holder Tejaswin Shankar is among the seven players who have been included in the Topps Development Group. Apart from this, Harsh Kumar (Men’s 400m and 4x400m Relay), Veeramani Rewati (Women’s 400m and 4x400m Relay), Vithya R (Women’s 400m and 4x400m Relay), Shaily Singh (Women’s Long Jump ), S. Babu (Mahila Trikud) and Harshita Sehrawat (Mahila wire shot throw) have also been included in the Topps Developmental Group. Chopra and Shivpal qualified for the Tokyo Olympics through competitions held in South Africa earlier this year, while Irfan won the quota through the Asian Walking Championships in Japan last year.
