World Athletics Championships: Underwhelming Displays Leave Team India With Soul Searching To Do

Last Updated:September 18, 2025, 16:16 IST

The inability of Indian athletes to shine on the grandest stage could be attributed to exhaustion due to their bid to secure a place in the World Championships.

Indian track athletes had an underwhelming showing at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo.

Animesh Kujur’s honesty and candour after keeping his appointment with the World Athletics Championships men’s 200m heats were refreshing. If one expected the sprinter to be downcast after clocking 20.77 seconds and bringing up the rear in his last races of what has been a hectic season for him, one was in for a surprise. There was no hint of disappointment.

“I achieved all that I wanted to this long season. I came here to observe and learn," he said. “I did not have any special preparations for the World Championships since I have run many races this year. I had very little time to rebuild my form. It was about getting the world ranking. I will implement the learnings in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games next year."

Yet, a recurring theme with Indian athletes has been an inability to replicate performances on the grandest stage. Even as Neeraj Chopra and Sachin Yadav’s secured entry into the men’s Javelin Throw final, their team-mates Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh as well as Triple Jumpers Praveen Chithravel and Abdulla Aboobacker exited from with sub-par shows.

It is natural to ask why some produce underwhelming performances on the grandest of stages. It would not be wrong to say that most Indians are not overawed by the occasion unlike some of their predecessors. Sachin Yadav’s 83.67m throw is a case in point.

It is likely they do not produce their best in the climactic event of the season because they have exhausted themselves in competing to secure world ranks that would get them berths in the World Championships. Long Jumper M Sreeshankar and sprinter Animesh Kujur are good examples of such athletes this season.

But what of the others who have good world rankings?

Take Abdulla Aboobacker, for example. A former World No. 9, he was perhaps too aggressive with the first attempt and committed a foul – by howsoever tiny a margin. That piled immense pressure on him. It may have helped him to be conservative with the opening effort, secure a mark and then go all out to try and make it to the final.

As things turned out, he overstepped the jumping board again. He was to say that he was fed up with two fouls in a row. He managed a 16.33m effort on his last try. If he could produce that when in such a state of mind, it is likely that he would have done better without bringing pressure on himself.

“I do not know yet why I was unable to manage qualifying for the final," Abdulla Aboobacker said. “I had a good second jump but had overstepped by 0.5cm. Eventually I had to ensure that I got a valid jump so that I do not return home with a no mark. I managed that but the performance was not in keeping with my form and my expectations."

Praveen Chithravel, who once rose to being World No. 10, also brought pressure on himself with a foul on the first attempt. He registered a moderate 16.38m effort and willed himself to jump to 16.64m on the final try. He knew that it was not enough for him to make it to Friday’s final.

“My first jump was over 17m but was a small foul. I am in very good shape, but my calf muscles were tight as I approached the board on the second attempt (16.38m). This season, I have pushed myself and did not give up. The last try was over 16.74m. It is not the result I expected," he said. “It was very good conditions for me."

In his moment of disappointment, Praveen Chithravel believed he had let down India, the Athletics Federation of India, his sponsors JSW Sports and the Tamil Nadu State Association. “They have always believed in me, but I am losing at this stage. I do not want to cry (in public) but deep inside I am crying," he said. “It is too painful."

The athletes disagree with suggestions that they perform well at home but not overseas. “We have done well in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games," Abdulla Aboobacker said. Rohit Yadav, who competed in the final of his last World Championships in Eugene in 2022, said nothing changes when Indians compete at this level. “Nobody deliberately brings his performance down. We all want to do our best at this stage," he said.

Yet, the athletes, their coaches and the planning team will have some soul-searching to do and analyse why men who hop, step and jump over 17m at the start of a season have been on a decline post the Asian Championships in Gumi in May. While medals in the continental events are welcome, they must deliver better performances in the global competition.

They do not need to look any farther than Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games champion and Budepest 2023 World Athletics Championship gold medalist Neeraj Chopra who does not compete in every competition that he is invited to. At a point in the season, he shifts his focus to preparing to give his best in the World Championships or the Olympic Games.

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