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India’s mixed relay marathon players Priyanka Goswami and Akshdeep Singh secured their mixed relay quota for the Paris Olympics 2024 after bagging the 18th spot at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, Turkey.
Priyanka and Akshdeep clocked 3:05:03 seconds. However, the other Indian pair of Munita Prajapati and Paramjeet Singh finished 35th with a time of 3:09:58 seconds and weren't able to secure a berth in Paris.
Only the top 22 teams in this category will stand a chance to qualify for the Games in Paris. Furthermore, up to five of the 22 teams in the World Race Walking Team Championships will also be able to select an additional team from their country.
It’s important to note that Priyanka and Akshdeep have already qualified for the Paris Olympics in their individual categories in the men’s and women’s 20km events.
A disappointing day for other Indian walkers at World Race Walking Team Championships
In the individual 20km event, India had a disappointing day. Among the 10 Indian athletes — five each in the men’s and women’s categories – Servin Sebastian was the lone athlete to finish in the top 20.
Top race walker Ram Baboo, who made it to the quadrennial event with his personal best of 1:20:00 in the Dudinska 50 Meet in Slovakia, left the race around the 2 km mark.
Other athletes who already met the Olympic qualifying standards, Vikash Singh, Paramjeet Singh, and Suraj Panwar also failed to create an impact.
Sebastian, who was aiming to breach the Olympic qualifying standard, managed to clock only 1:21.39 seconds, falling short of the Paris Olympic qualifying mark of 1:20.10.
The disappointment continued in the women’s 20km category as well. None of the five Indian contenders for Paris berths could achieve the Olympic cut-off time of 1:20.20.
Pooja Kumawat emerged as the top female Indian athlete, securing the 42nd spot with a time of 1:40.27 seconds. Manju Rani and Mokavi Muthurathinam followed closely behind in 43rd and 44th, clocking 1:40.31 and 1:40.33 respectively.
Ramandeep Kaur (1:42.12) and Payal (1:42.32) racked up 49th and 50th respectively, out of 63 athletes who completed the race in the World Race Walking Team Championships.
