After serving a two-year ban for a dope offence, double Asian Games gold-medallist Ashwini Akkunji is hoping to run her first competitive race in next month’s World Athletics Championships in Moscow.
Akkunji is taking part in the trials to be held in Patiala on Friday to pick India’s 4x400m relay squad for the Moscow event. Akkunji, whose ban period ended on July 3, said she has a slight niggle on one of her legs but will still run for selection trial at the NIS Patiala where she has been training. “I still have slight niggle on my legs but I am running in the trials tomorrow,” Akkunji said.
Asked if she is confident of making it to the six-member 4x400m squad, she said, “I can’t say. This is my first competitive race though it is a selection trial. I have been training and I am fit except for this niggle. “I will give my best and see what happens,” said Akkunji who had won a gold each in women’s 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou before she was caught for doping the next year.
India qualified for the women’s 4X400m relay in the August 10-18 World Championships after winning gold in the Asian Athletics Championships in Pune early this month. The quartet of M R Poovamma, Anu Mariam Jose, Tintu luka and Nirmala had clocked 3:32.26s to bag the gold in Pune. The Athletics Federation of India will pick a six member 4x400m relay squad with two as reserves on Saturday. By that time, the selection committee, who will meet here on Saturday, will have the results of the trials in their hands.