Commonwealth Games 2022 | Track and field action begins Tuesday, India expected to win medal in women's discus throw

In Neeraj Chopra’s absense, veteran discus thrower Seema Punia and javelin thrower Annu Rani are expected to step up and try to achieve glory in the multi-sporting spectacle

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's withdrawal was a huge blow but the Indian athletics team for the Commonwealth Games still has multiple medal contenders who will vie for the top honours when the blue-riband track and field events begin in Birmingham on Tuesday.

Chopra will not be defending the javelin throw title he had won in the last edition in Gold Coast due to a groin strain he suffered during his silver-winning feat at the World Championships in USA last month.

In his absence, the likes of long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, steeplechaser Avinash Sable, veteran discus thrower Seema Punia and javelin thrower Annu Rani are expected to step up and try to achieve glory in the multi-sporting spectacle.

India is also expected to win at least a medal from one of the three triple jumpers in Praveen Chitravel, Abdulla Aboobacker and Eldhose Paul, who made it to the World Championships final, as they are currently among the best performers in the Commonwealth this season.

With several world-class athletes emerging, especially after Chopra won a historic athletics gold in Tokyo Olympics last year, India would be looking for at least half a dozen medals in the Birmingham Games.

The country's best athletics medal haul had come at the Delhi CWG in 2010 with 2 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze. That performance will surely be difficult to match but the Indians would be looking for their second best show ever.

The second best show from the Indian athletics contingent at the CWG till now has been the three-medal hauls (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze each) in the 2014 and 2018 editions.