How did Gurpreet Singh perform at Tokyo Olympics? A detailed look at the Indian racewalker's performance at the previous Olympic Games

Gurpreet Singh is an Indian racewalker, who represented India as the sole participant in the 50km race walk at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He secured his qualification for the Tokyo Olympics after clinching the Indian 50km racewalking championship with a remarkable time of 3:59:42, marking his individual best.

Despite a brilliant performance in the qualification stage, Gurpreet did not enjoy a memorable campaign. His Tokyo Olympic journey was marred by challenges. He encountered cramps around the 35km mark, which eventually forced him to withdraw from the race.

The conditions at the Olympic venue, Sapporo Odori Park in Hokkaido, were very demanding. The temperature reached around 30 degrees Celsius and humidity levels around 80%. Notably, it took a toll on the 39-year-old Indian army man as he gradually lost ground as the race progressed.

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A deeper look at Gurpreet Singh's performance at Tokyo Olympics

Gurpreet was ranked 37th at the 8km mark, trailing the race leader by only 0.37 seconds. Unfortunately, he dropped down to 44th around the 10km mark. At the halfway mark of 25km, Gurpreet Singh was 48th with a timing of 2:01:54.

Sadly, the challenging conditions led to Gurpreet Singh facing cramps and forced him to withdraw 10km later. By that time, he completed 35km in 2:55:19. Dawid Tomala of Poland clinched the gold medal and completed the course in 3:50:08.

Meanwhile, Germany's Jonathan Hilbert won silver with a timing of 3:50:44 and Canada's Evan Dunfee won the bronze medal recording a time of 3:50:59.

In addition, the race at Tokyo saw a slower pace compared to the 2016 Rio Olympics 50km race walk event. Notably, only 47 out of 59 starters completed the race, including disqualifications. Matej Toth of Slovakia, who finished 14th in Tokyo, had won the gold in Rio with a time of 3:40:58.