Teenage sprinter Dutee Chand made it to the 27-member Indian athletics team for next month’s second Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China, while it was heartbreak for Delhi shot putter Shakti Solanki who was left out after he missed the selection trials.
Besdies Chand, the Indian team will field 13 girls for the August 16 to 24 multi-sporting event meant for athletes under 18 years of age.
Solanki, who hurled the iron ball to a stupendous distance of 19.09m in the National Youth Championships in Guntur in May that put him in sixth spot in the world list then, missed the trials held on July 26 in Thiruvananthapuram.
In the first edition held in Singapore four years ago, Indian track and field athletes had bagged four gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Meanwhile, the Indians will participate in the Youth Asian Games as independent athletes under the banner of the Olympic Council of Asia.
This is the second time in recent months that they will not compete under the tri-colour in a multi-sporting event.
India participated under the OCA banner in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Incheon, South Korea from June 29 to July 6.
Earlier, the government was hoping that the issue of India’s ban from the Olympic fold in December last year would be resolved and the athletes would represent the country in the Youth Asian Games.