Someone has to be answerable: AFI on Jyothi, Praveen pull-out

The Athletics Federation of India has taken a dim view of the absence of hurdler Jyothi Yarraji and triple jumper Praveen Chhitravel from their respective competitions in the Asian Games in Nagoya on Saturday (September 26, 2026). While Jyothi did not start, Chitravel turned up, only for a foul on his first jump before retiring with both claiming injuries.

“Someone has to be answerable, and there will be an inquiry into what exactly went wrong. We will definitely look into all the details and then take whatever action might be needed. The coaches had repeatedly assured us that they were doing absolutely fine in training, and as late as this morning, both the athletes and their coaches had confirmed that they would be participating. Now they are claiming there was pain during warm-up or a hamstring injury. This is unacceptable,” AFI spokesperson and former president Adille Sumariwalla told The Hindu.

Jyothi Yarraji. File
| Photo Credit:
Biswaranjan Rout

Interestingly, both Jyothi and Praveen, along with high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, had skipped the mandatory Indian Athletics Final Series in New Delhi just before departure for the Asian Games and had been training at the Tsukuba University for acclimatisation. Battling injuries and niggles, they had submitted medical certificates declaring them fit to play before being cleared at the last minute for competition.