BENGALURU: They say truth is stranger than fiction — a lesson Karnataka’s top hurdler has just been handed the hard way.Despite clearing Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) Asian Games qualifying benchmark not once but thrice, Krishik M still finds himself left out of the 110-metre men’s hurdles squad for the upcoming continental showpiece in Japan.The omission comes as a bitter blow to the 22-year-old BTech graduate — and to his father, Manjunatha, who gave up his job to support Krishik and his brother Kanishk in their pursuit of athletic careers.The AFI selection committee defended its decision pointing to the Inter-State meet in Bhubaneswar, where Krishik finished third – missing out on the federation’s cutoff of a top-two finish.However, sources point towards a double standard, noting that the committee showed leniency to seasoned campaigners Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put) and Annu Rani (women’s javelin throw) despite similar qualifying setbacks.Worse still, even after Tejas Shirse — the sole athlete initially picked for the men’s 110-metre hurdles — withdrew from the Asian Games squad with an injury, the federation still didn’t call up Krishik.Krishik’s exclusion stands in sharp contrast to his performances throughout the season. Against the AFI qualifying standard of 13.63 seconds, the Tumakuru-native consistently delivered: 13.44 seconds (personal best) at the Indian Athletics Series (IAS) 6 in Chennai in early May; 13.52 seconds at the Senior Federation Cup in Ranchi later in May; and 13.55 seconds at the IAS 9 in Ludhiana in June.Reflecting on the setback, Krishik acknowledged his performance at the critical qualifying meet fell short. “I should have performed well at the Inter-State and secured at least a second position. Having said that, it’s only once in four years that we get an opportunity to represent India at the Asian Games,” he told TOI.When asked if his camp had appealed the decision, he added: “We did, but AFI insisted that I ought to have finished at least second at the Inter-State meet. I got three false starts in the final race. With even one foul, one comes under pressure, so I think that affected me.”Currently ranked seventh in Asia, the youngster remains focused on the immediate future. Looking ahead to the Indian Athletics Final Series in New Delhi today, Krishik remains defiant: “I’m 100% sure about winning and earning the qualification mark.”