HANGZHOU: India's athletics team, which has grown in stature over the years following a string of world-class performances from Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra and champion heptathlete Swapna Barman - the defending champion here - will begin its seven-day Asian Games campaign here on Thursday.
Joining the two to defend their titles from Jakarta will be Jinson Johnson (men's 1500m) and Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men's shot put). The mixed relay team will also be out to retain their gold from the 18th Asian Games. "I'm in much better shape now as I've regained fitness. My aim is to bag the gold and defend the title," Toor, who skipped the World Championships to focus on Asiad, told TOI after a training session.
