The largest continental multisport tournament Asian Games 2023 are set to commence in Hangzhou, China, from September 23, Saturday. At the previous edition of the tournament, a total of 570 athletes represented the Indian subcontinent across 36 sporting disciplines.
In the forthcoming edition, a larger continent, consisting of 655 Indian athletes will compete across different events with an intent to cross the 100-medal mark in the tally. While several big names, including the likes of Neeraj Chopra and Lovlina Borgohain are set to contest for the yellow metal, there are several names who will miss out the upcoming event.
Here are five names that couldn’t make it to the event due to various reasons:
1. Vinesh Phogat
The first name that won’t be a part of the 19th Asian Games is the Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat , who won a gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games the same year in the women’s 50kg category. As she finished atop the podium in the previous edition, Phogat was awarded a direct entry in the 2022 season.
However, the star wrestler had to pull out of the contest due to a knee injury Phogat underwent last month. Hence, she needs more time to regain fitness.
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2. Hima Das
India’s young track athlete Hima Das, who made it to headlines by winning India’s maiden gold at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships will miss out the competition due to injury issues. Das was a solid gold competitor for India in the event but due to a hamstring injury she suffered in April 2023, she had to pull out. Speaking of the previous edition, Das registered a second-place finish in the women’s 400m race.
Not only this, but the 23-year-old was also a part of the gold medalist women’s 4x400m relay team as well as the silver-winning mixed 4x400m relay team.
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3. Dipa Karmarkar
Dipa Karmarkar scripted history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to compete in the 2016 Olympics, and narrowly missed the bronze medal. In the 2023 season of the Asiad, Karmarkar was left out of the squad as she missed to meet the government’s eligibility criteria.
Karmarkar had a curvy graph from 2019 due to injuries and doping suspension. Though the gymnast secured first place in the trials, she was left out due to the government protocols as she didn’t achieve eighth rank in the last 12 months.
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4. Deepika Kumari
India’s archery superstar Deepika Kumari embraced motherhood last year. Despite being not in shape, the former world number 1 and a Commonwealth gold medalist, Kumari finished ninth in the first phase of training in January. Kumari didn’t get the call to be a part of the four-membered women’s recurve team.
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5. Amit Panghal 
Amit Panghal became the only boxer from India to win a gold medal at the previous edition of the Asiad. However, the pugilist won’t be able to defend his title following his poor performance in the trials. Panghal alleged bias in the new selection policy and moved court against the Boxing Federation of India. After his claims were dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the boxer was replaced by Deepak Bhoria in the seven-member Indian men’s boxing team.
