Akshdeep Singh (Punjab) hogged the limelight as he met the qualifying standards for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest later this year and next year’s Olympic Games in Paris as he broke the National Record in the men 20km event, clocking 1:19:55.00 in the 10th National Race Walking Championships on the Morabadi Road here today.
Priyanka Goswami (Uttar Pradesh), who won the women’s 20km in 1:28:50.00 was the other athlete to attain the World Championships and Paris2024 qualifying standard today.
The 22-year-old Akshdeep, whose previous best in the 20km Race Walk was 1:26:10.00, surprised all comers with his splendid effort. Uttarakhand’s 21-year-old Suraj Panwar, silver medalist in the 2018 Asian Youth Olympic Games 10000m, also improved on his personal best from 1:25:11.00, to 1:20:11.00 but was a second outside the qualifying standard for the World Championships.
Priyanka Goswami missed improving on her own National Record of 1:28:45.00 by a whisker but had the satisfaction of qualifying for her second successive World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games. Bhawna Jat (Rajasthan), who held the National Record earlier, finished a game second in a personal best time of 1:29:44.00 but was 24 seconds outside the qualifying mark.
Uttarakhand’s Mansi Negi set a new National record in the women’s U20 10km event, winning in 40:01.00 ahead of the Haryana pair of Aarti and Indu. Aditya Negi, Babendra Singh and Himanshu Kumar swept the podium places in the men’s U20 10km event.
The results:
Men’s 20km: 1. Akshdeep Singh (Punjab) 1:19:55.00 (New National Record. Old: 1:20:16.00, Sandeep Kumar, Ranchi, 2021); 2. Suraj Panwar (Uttarakhand) 1:20:11.00; 3. Vikash Singh (Delhi) 1:21:08.00
Women’s 20km: 1. Priyanka Goswami (Uttar Pradesh) 1:28:50.00; 2. Bhawna Jat (Rajasthan) 1:29:44.00; 3. Sonal Sukhwal (Rajasthan) 1:31:03.00.
Men’s U20 10km: 1. Aditya Negi (Uttarakhand) 41:33.00; 2. Babendra Singh (Uttarakhand) 42:17.00; 3. Himanshu Kumar (Uttarakhand) 43:13.00.
Women’s U20 10km: 1. Mansi Negi (Uttarakhand) 40:01.00 (New National U20 record. Old: 49:28.00, Reshma Patel, Ranchi, 2021); 2. Aarti (Haryana) 49:54.00; 3. Indu (Haryana) 50:01.00.
