NEW DELHI: Quarter-miler Chitra K. Soman and a women's 4x400m relay team comprising all the in-form Indian runners will compete in the Guwahati and Pune legs of the Asian Grand Prix to be held on June 23 and June 27 respectively.

Till now, with the main batch of Indian athletes scheduled to leave for a European tour, none of the top-rung 400m runners were expected to figure in the Asian GP series. Now, the trip to Poland has been cancelled following visa hurdles and an alternative training stint planned in Germany has been delayed, leaving the athletes with a chance to figure in some competitions that they sorely need.

Opportunities

For the women's 4x400m relay team the Asian GP legs at home should provide opportunities to clock some fast timings towards qualification for the Beijing Olympics. The best two timings of the teams in designated meets in 2007 and 2008 will count towards qualification. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has designated the Asian GP meets as Olympic-qualifying events.

Meanwhile, an 18-member Indian squad is leaving here on Saturday night for Bangkok to compete in the first leg of the Asian GP on June 19.

Withdrawals

From the original list, intermediate hurdler P. Shankar, high jumper Benedict Starli and woman quarter-miler Satti Geetha and triple jumper Anisha Vijayan withdrew from the Bangkok-bound team for various reasons.

Discus thrower Vikas Gowda, who is expected to participate in all the three legs, is scheduled to join the team in Bangkok from the U.S.

More Indian athletes will join the series when the Guwahati and Pune legs are held. The Indian legs will also see an additional event, without the prize money, in women's long jump that has been brought in to provide Anju Bobby George an opportunity to begin her season at home. Anju is looking for the qualification mark of 6.60m to make it to the Osaka World championships in August.

The team: Men: A. Aravind and B. G. Nagaraj (100m); K.M. Binu (400m); C.

Hamza and Sajeev Joseph (1500m); Sunil Kumar and Surendra Singh (3000m); Kuldev Singh (400m hurdles); Hari Sankar Roy (high jump); Amarjeet Singh and Renjith Maheswary (triple jump) and Satyendra Kumar Singh and Saurabh Vij (shot put).

Women: Poonam Tomar (100m), M.R. Poovamma (400m); Sinimole Paulose and Sushma (1500m) and Anuradha Biswal (100m hurdles).

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