This last day could be an interesting one for India. Reading the start list for the javelin, I knew we would see Chopra, but there are also two other Indian athletes in the Final! Along with the fantastic run in the semis of the men's 4x400 and Parul Chaudhary making the women's steeple final (Avinash Sable underperformed and didn't make the men's final), as well as some good results in the long jump, India is beginning to show some potential in the sport
I am confident that over the next decade, India is going to produce multiple world-class track athletes and start to show some of the biggest improvement of a country when it comes to track
Neeraj Chopra got a foot n the door with that Olympic Gold and now you are seeing random Indian athletes popping up in the Javelin and other field events. Very similar to what happened with Cricket, India sees some initial success and goes onto become a powerhouse.
I reckon Indians if they got it down right could dominate the distance events. Sprints not such a rosy outlook for them.... But alas none of this is a given, betting odds would favour corruption and culture stifling any Indian T&F domination.
I checked through the results and assume I didn't miss anyone. India had no one in the open 400, correct? That's crazy that they can put a 2:59 4x4 team without a someone in the open 4!
I checked through the results and assume I didn't miss anyone. India had no one in the open 400, correct? That's crazy that they can put a 2:59 4x4 team without a someone in the open 4!
They're all 45 guys, none of them had the standard. It's doable only if everyone runs a perfect leg close to PR speed - really impressive, especially doing it twice.
I love talking about Indian T&F. Such an interesting topic.
There are 3 factors holding back this nation of 1 billion people from being a consistent powerhouse in the sport:
1. Poverty. Something like 25% of the country sustained a household income just above the poverty line in 2020, and with 15% of the country living in poverty in 2023.
2. Infrastructure. Shoes, tracks, and all the other equipment required aren't as commonplace. The specialized equipment especially is sometimes hard to come by.
3. Culture. Much like many other Asian nations, India values academics over everything else - unlike many western nations, where academics are obviously valued but sometimes passed over in favor of athletics at the high school or equivalent level.
India has a ton of potential, probably more so than other countries. I expect to see the first sub 10 100 within the next decade.
Middle distance runner should start showing up more in international competitions in the next 5 years. Based on current results, India likely has a genetic predisposition towards middle distance events (and field events lol).
Indian women especially will become a force to be reckoned with very, very soon. There is a staggering amount of depth right now, just no outliers - i'm honestly not sure why they didn't send a women's 4x400 or a mixed relay this year.
Additionally, many Indian runners will likely be popped for drugs over the next decade or so as they improve.
Actually more than any national institution, I think what will hold back some of the emerging talent will be their own parents. And you cant really blame the parents, playing any kind of sport and becoming a pro is infinitely super hard. And in Asian culture, there is a deep respect kids have for their parents, they will do anything they say. Which isnt necessarily a bad thing kids should respect and look after their parents, something the west is clearly lacking.
The 2019 World Champs Cricket broadcast had 706 million unique viewers. The vast majority of them were from India, Pakistan, and surrounding countries. If world athletics can tap into that viewer base (thanks to guys like Neeraj and the 4x400m team), the prize monies for track meets would be in the millions for each athlete that makes the podium. The sponsorship revenues for the governing body would be insane.
If you are a pro athlete in track and field right now, you absolutely want India to be involved as much as possible. It could be mean a huge payday for everyone involved.
And to our benefit, these South Asian countries are not good at Soccer. There's no chance (in the near future) for NFL, NBA, MLB to penetrate into those countries either. Whereas, NBA has made big progress into China for instance. Cricket is the only mainstay. Track&Field, though, has a chance to gain market share. Major marketshare!
In the Athletics broadcast, they said in the last 20 years they've been trying hard to make running a part of their culture (by way of introducing marathons, 5ks, 10ks). Now, the Bangalore Marathon is a big deal and attracts a boatload of Kenyans with big prize monies. I think this will break down the old school mentality of parents who view athletics of a waste of time as those kids who ran the 5ks/10ks 20 years ago are now parents.
A Sri Lankan athlete has already run sub 10 so it can’t be far off
I hope so. Unfortunately the national record of 10.27 would suggest the country still has a ways to go but perhaps an outlier will show up in the next few years.
Actually more than any national institution, I think what will hold back some of the emerging talent will be their own parents. And you cant really blame the parents, playing any kind of sport and becoming a pro is infinitely super hard. And in Asian culture, there is a deep respect kids have for their parents, they will do anything they say. Which isnt necessarily a bad thing kids should respect and look after their parents, something the west is clearly lacking.
Yeah, it's just so difficult to change the culture around it. How do you convince your often extremely conservative and traditional parents that pursuing athletics is better than trying to get into IIT Banglore or getting a job working for Microsoft in Mumbai? You can't, the common cultural support of athletics isn't there - or at least isn't anywhere close to cricket. It isn't like the US where guided, often well funded and officially supported sports are part of schooling life like in the west.