CWG 2022: Indian race walkers in transition mode as focus shifts to 10km distance

India’s elite race walkers are in a transition mode due to a change in competition distance at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The athletes will compete over a distance of 10km for medals instead of the regular 20km distance at the senior level.

“Athletes having good basic speed will have a better chance of earning a podium finish in Birmingham,” Priyanka Goswami, India’s medal contender at the Commonwealth Games, told Sportskeeda on Tuesday.

Bhawana Jat is the second Indian female athlete selected for the Commonwealth Games.

While the 10km distance is for the junior category, 20km is the normal distance at the senior level. World Athletics has also introduced 35km and scrapped the 50km at the world level.

At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games both men and women’s race walkers raced over a 20km distance. But the Birmingham Commonwealth Games organising committee will conduct competitions over 10km and that too on track.

“Racing on the track is more challenging due to the 400m oval circuit. Whereas on the road, the loop is between 1km and 2km,” Priyanka said while explaining the tricky situation of competing over 10km.

Last month Priyanka competed at the La Coruna World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold event held in Spain, but she wasn’t satisfied with her time of 45 minutes and 48 seconds over 10km.

“I had a stiff hamstring and couldn’t do my best in Spain,” the 26-year-old Olympian said on finishing outside the top 10.

Priyanka believes she has the ability to race 10km below 45 minutes at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

“My main rivals in Birmingham will be athletes from Australia. The Commonwealth nation Down Under has a good tradition of race walking,” Priyanka said.

Priyanka has been switching from 20km to 35km this season. Her overall performance has been far from satisfactory. She didn’t come close to her personal best of 1::28: 45 clocked over 20km last year in Ranchi. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, she finished 17th in the women’s 20m race walk event.

Earlier this month, the core group of race walkers went to Kyrgyzstan’s summer resort of Cholpon Ata for a month-long camp. But they returned this week for a visa appointment to the US.

Before the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Priyanka will also compete in the women’s 20km event at the Eugene World Athletics Championships, starting on July 15.

“My competition will be on the opening day of the World Championships and it will give me enough time to recover from different time zones to stay on track for the Commonwealth Games,” she said.