Beaten by bias? Krishik misses Asian Games bus despite meeting AFI benchmark thrice
Indian hurdler Krishik M has been excluded from the Asian Games squad despite meeting the Athletics Federation of India's qualifying benchmarks three times. The athlete and his family allege bias, noting that other seasoned athletes were granted leniency for similar performance gaps.
Why it matters
The case highlights concerns regarding transparency and fairness in national sports selection processes, impacting the careers of emerging athletes.
BENGALURU: They say truth is stranger than fiction — a lesson Karnataka’s top hurdler has just been handed the hard way.Despite clearing Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) Asian Games qualifying benchmark not once but thrice, Krishik M still finds himself left out of the 110-metre men’s hurdles squad for the upcoming continental showpiece in Japan.The omission comes as a bitter blow to the 22-year-old BTech graduate — and to his father, Manjunatha, who gave up his job to support Krishik and his brother Kanishk in their pursuit of athletic careers.The AFI selection committee defended its decision pointing to the Inter-State meet in Bhubaneswar, where Krishik finished third – missing out on the federation's cutoff of a top-two finish.However, sources point towards a double standard, noting that the committee showed leniency to seasoned campaigners Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put) and Annu Rani (women’s javelin throw) despite similar qualifying setbacks.Worse still,…
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