Lalita Babar on course for Rio 2016 despite IAAF loss

India’s Lalita Babar finished 8^th overall at the 3000m steeplechase at the World Championships

Anglian Medal Hunt athlete Lalita Babar came in 8th in the finals of the 3000m steeplechase event at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing with a timing of 9:29.64m.

In qualifying for the event, Babar broke the national record with a time of 9:27.86. She finished the heats in 4^th place. She also achieved a personal best in the process, beating her time of 9:34.13, which she achieved at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan, China, in June this year. That time had resulted in Babar qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Previously a marathoner, Babar has won the Mumbai Marathon on three consecutive occasions between 2012 and 2014. In January last year, she made the decision to switch to the 3000m steeplechase event.

Anglian Medal hunt company brought in IndiaQBank.com, an online test portal for the preparation of medical and engineering entrances in India to sponsor Lalita in her preparation for the Rio Olympic Games.

The CEO of Anglian Medal Hunt, Maneesh Bahuguna said " Lalita has made the nation proud as she created history by becoming the first Indian female athlete to qualify for the finals of a World Athletics Championship track event. She ran a fearless race in the finals leaving a very strong statement to her fellow steeple chasers that she will be gunning for that elusive athletics medal at the Olympics."

Quote from founder and CEO of IndiaQBank.com: "I am very proud to sponsor Athletics champion Lalita Babar. She has established herself as one the best 3000m steeplechase runners in the World. She won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in 2014 and a Gold medal at the Asian Championships in 2015. Recently she set a new India National Record of 9:27 at the World Championships.