• Anju Bobby George (Women's Long Jump)
      • Large_image1774 Anju Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in Long Jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships in Athletics clearing 6.70 m.

        She went on to win the silver medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005, a performance she considers her best.

        She is India's best bet to a medal in Athletics this year.
       
      • Vikas Gowda (Men’s Discus Throw)
      • Large_image1775 The Indian born US-citizen Vikas Gowda grew up in Frederick, Maryland in the United States. Vikas will be participating in his second Olympics after he finished ninth in his group with an overall standing of 17th (out of 29 athletes) in the discus throw qualifying round in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

        His personal best throw is 64.96 meters, which he achieved in May 2007 in Salinas. His father Shive coached the 1988 Indian Olympic Track Team. Vikas is a student of the celebrated North Carolina University, which has produced some the biggest names in sporting history like Michael Jordan, Ellen Johnson etc.
       
      • Renjith Maheswary (Men’s Triple Jump)
      • Large_image1776 Triple jumper Renjith Maheswary came in to reckoning after he broke India's oldest national record of 16.79m set by Mohinder Singh Gill way back in 1971. He leaped a golden distance of 17.04 metres in the second leg of the 2007 Asian Grand Prix series in Guwahati, which remains his personal best thus far.

        Renjith, however, bettered his Guwahati mark by leaping a distance of 17.19 metres claiming the gold at the 17th Asian athletics championships in Amman. But it wasn't counted as a national record since all his jumps were wind-aided.

        Renjith finished fourth at the Doha Asian Games and won the 2007 Asian Championships. He also competed at the 2007 World Championships but couldn't make it to the final.
       
      • Surendra Singh (Men’s 10,000 m)
      • Large_image1777 Surendra Singh made the Beijing Olympics cut in great style after clocking an incredible 28:02.89 for the 10,000 metres in the Spanish Olympic trials at Vigo, Spain.

        He also bettered his own previous national record of 28:22.79 set at Watford, England. Surendra achieved the Olympic qualifying standard of 28:10.00 that he had been aiming for several months.

        Surendra started five years back at the National cross-country championship and will also be the first Olympian from Garhwal Rifles after participating at the Beijing Olympics.
       
      • Krishna Poonia (Women’s Discus Throw)
      • Large_image1778 India's national discus champion Krishna Poonia sealed her Beijing berth after logging a distance of 59.04 metres, crossing the Olympic qualification mark of 59.0 metres, at the Mount SAC Relays in Walnut, California in April 2008.

        Poonia claimed Doha Asian Games bronze after logging a distance of 61.53, which remains her personal best so far.

        The 31-year-old Poonia has been training hard under the watchful eyes of 1976 Olympic Gold medallist US discus thrower Mac Wilkins in Concordia University at Portland since February 2008.
       
      • Harwant Kaur (Women’s Discus Throw)
      • Large_image1780 India's promising discus thrower Harwant Kaur sealed the Beijing berth with a last-round throw of 61.09 metres in the 2008 National inter-State athletics championships at Madurai.

        Harwant is the second Indian qualifier in discus after Krishna Poonia since both meted out the 61-metre qualifying standard. Harwant touched the 'A' qualifying standard in her last effort.
       
      • JJ Shobha (Women’s Heptathlon)
      • Large_image1781 JJ Shobha earned the right to participate at the Beijing Olympics by achieving the qualification standard in heptathlon event with a commendable performance in the 48th National inter-state athletics championships.

        Shobha totalled 6043 points to win the heptathlon gold. She went past the Olympic 'A' standard of 6000 points. Shobha had braved a serious knee injury to finish 11th in the Athens Olympics, where she scored 6172 points.
       
      • G Pramila (Women’s Heptathlon)
      • Large_image1782 Pramila qualified for Olympic Games by securing 'A' standard in the National Jumps and Combined Events. Jharkhand's Pramila came up with a brilliant performance to aggregate 6078 points which is above 'A' qualifying mark of 6000 points.

        This will be the second Olympic Games for Pramila, who has also participated in the 2000 Sydney Games. The Beijing qualification was certainly great for Pramila, as the 30-year-old had missed out on the Athens Olympics berth by just three points.
       
      • Sushmita Singha Roy (Women's Heptathlon)
      • Large_image1783 Heptathlete Sushmita Singha Roy made it to the Beijing Olympics by bettering 'A' standard in the National Jumps and Combined Events. Bengal's Sushmita Singha Roy secured 6027 points which is more than 'A' qualifying mark of 6000 points.
       
      • Preeja Sreedharan (Women’s 10,000m)
      • Large_image1784 India's ace long-distance runner Preeja Sreedharan attained the 'B' qualifying norms for the Beijing Games after finishing runner-up in the 10,000m run of the 2008 British Miles Club Elite Grand Prix in London. Preeja also won a silver medal in women's 10000m race in the Asian Athletics Championship Amman.

        Preeja achieved a rare treble in the long distance events at the 33rd National Games as she won both the Mile and the 10,000m race within a span of two and 1/2 hours by clocking modest 4:38.38 and 36:09.30 respectively. The South Asian Games champion pocketed her third gold medal on the concluding day by winning the 5000m with timing of 17:01.79.
       
      • Manjit Kaur (Women’s 400m)
      • Large_image1785 National record holder Manjit Kaur attained Olympic B qualification in Yalta while her recent timings have been disappointing as she got injured during Madurai Nationals but still she will run her heart out at the Beijing Games.

        Manjit bagged gold in the women's 4 x 400m relay and 400m silver medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. She also won silver at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She also participated at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
       
      • Mandeep Kaur, Chitra Soman, Sini Jose, MR Poovamma, S Geeta and K Mridula (Women’s 4x400 m Relay Team)
      • Indian women's 4x400m relay team, comprising Chitra Soman, Sini Jose, MR Poovamma, Mandeep Kaur, S Geeta and K Mridula, booked their ticket for Beijing Olympics after securing 15th position in the IAAF rankings.

        The Indian team’s rankings rise is due to their fine show in the second Asian Grand Prix at Korat in Thailand in June.
       
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