Jyothi Yarraji and Amlan Borgohain will headline the Indian Grand Prix-3 as top-level athletics returns to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
The third event of the IGP series will be followed by another one-day meet at the same venue on Saturday.
The past couple of years have seen Indian athletics take major steps forward and with the Asian Games around the corner and the Paris Olympics on the horizon, the event will give a glimpse into its progress ahead of the international showpiece events.
That said, the 19-event championship looks a bit under-strength in terms of star power with the entry list a bit bleak. However, there are still some eye-catching names participating.
All eyes will be on Yarraji, who set the 100m hurdles national record at this venue in October. Although the weather conditions are not ideal, it will be interesting to see how much the highly-rated 23-year-old, who has competed in the 60m and 60m hurdle events this season, has improved.
"Coming back to the track where I broke the National Record is really exciting. My focus for the Indian Grand Prix is to give my best and better my timing than last time,” said Yarraji.
“It is good that the season is early. I wanted to use the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship experience to try something new. Currently we are working on strength, speed and endurance.”
Assam's Borgohain, double national record holder, looks set to continue his dominance in the sprint events after a highly successful 2022.
“I am looking forward to it. This will be my outdoor season opener of 2023,” he said.
Both sprinters are training under coach James Hillier with the Reliance Foundation.
Long jumper M Sreeshankar will also make his long-awaited return from injury, competing in his first meet since the National Games.
The other big names in action are Assam's Hima Das (200m) and Tamil Nadu's Archana Suseendran (100m), fresh off a sprint double in the IGP 2 last month.
For Karnataka, the medal hopes lie on the shoulders of Nihal Joel W (400m), Krishik M (110m hurdles), Daneshwari AT (100m), and Unnathi Aiyappa Bollan (100m hurdles).