Women’s 400m national record holder Manjeet Kaur (picture above) has been ruled out of the first of the three Asian Grand Prix meets to be held at Thailand and Vietnam. The double leg of the AGP will be held in Bangkok and Korat on June 23 and 26 respectively. While the hamstring injury has definitely ruled her out of the Bangkok leg, she is doubtful for the Korat meet as well. The Hanoi leg is slated for June 30.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has approved the AGP series for Olympic qualification, and the absence of Manjeet could hamper the Indian 4x400m team’s attempts to go below the 3:30 seconds required to make the passage to Beijing comfortable. But AFI secretary Lalit Bhanot remained optimistic, saying that the “other runners in the squad are strong enough to clock a good time.”

A key member of the Indian relay squad, Manjeet had picked up the injury in the just-concluded National Inter-State Athletics Meet held in Madurai. The pain was so intense that she had to drop out of the 400m race after the first bend.

She will accompany the 43-member Indian contingent and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is hoping she can participate in the second and third legs.

Andhra Pradesh’s S Geetha will replace the injured Manjeet in the squad that also includes Mandeep Kaur, Chitra K Soman, Sini Jose and MR Poovamma.

Meanwhile, the AFI is also expecting women’s discus thrower Seema Antil to achieve the Olympic qualification mark. Since the country’s top middle and long-distance runners are away in England, the other events in the AGPs will only be of academic interest.