Indians in World Athletics Championships 2025, Day 1: Slow start as Ram Baboo disqualified from 35 km race walk event

Day 1 of the World Athletics Championships 2025 brought a challenging start for the Indian contingent in Tokyo. The spotlight was on the 35 km race walk events and the women’s 1500 m heats, but India’s hopes took a hit with disqualification, penalties, and finishes outside the top bracket.

India’s day began with heartbreak as national record holder Ram Baboo was disqualified after the 24 km mark in the men’s 35 km race walk. He received his fourth red card for form violations, ending his campaign prematurely. It was a disappointing result for Baboo, who had finished 27th in Budapest two years ago and was looking to improve on that performance.

Sandeep Kumar managed to finish the race, securing 23rd place with a timing of 2:39:15. It was well outside his personal best of 2:35:06 but the veteran turned in a respectable performance.

In the women’s 35 km race walk, Priyanka Goswami fought hard to finish 24th with a timing of 3:05:58 on the clock. She served a penalty of over three minutes during the race after early technical violations but still managed to complete the event. While this was below her national record of 2:56:34, the effort was commendable considering this was only her third outing in the 35 km distance.

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Pooja Olla Falls Short in 1500m Heats

Middle-distance runner Pooja Olla also had a challenging outing in the women’s 1500 m heats. She finished 11th in her heat with 4:13:75, nearly four seconds outside her personal best of 4:09.52. With this result, she failed to advance to the semifinals.

Pooja is set to take part in the 800m sprint, however, where she will be keen to bounce back and make amends.