National Race Walking Championship Set to Take Place in Chandigarh on Saturday

Synopsis

The 12th Indian Open Race Walking Championship will take place at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, featuring top athletes like Priyanka Goswami and Akshdeep Singh. The event includes various categories, aiming for qualification times for upcoming championships.

Key Takeaways

Priyanka Goswami aims for a qualification time of 1:32:00.
Akshdeep Singh holds the men’s 20km national record.
The competition will include events for U20 boys and girls.
Various qualification times are set for upcoming championships.
Sukhna Lake provides a scenic backdrop for the event.

Chandigarh, April 18 (NationPress) Two-time Olympian and national record holder Priyanka Goswami is poised to excel in the women’s 20km race at the 12th edition of the Indian Open Race Walking Championship, taking place at the scenic Sukhna Lake this Saturday.

Priyanka aims to meet the qualification standard of 1:32:00 for the women’s 20km event, established by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the Asian Athletics Championships scheduled from May 27 to 31. “I’m in good shape and confident I can achieve a strong time tomorrow,” stated the 29-year-old national record holder.

Her personal best and national record in the women’s 20km is 1:28:45, achieved in 2021 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Earlier this year, in March, she also set a new national record for the women’s 35km race walk, clocking 2:56.34 in Slovakia.

The women’s 20km event has drawn participation from 20 athletes. Meanwhile, the men’s 20km race walk will feature 46 elite runners, predominantly from the Indian Army, competing for top honors. The qualification time for the Asian meet in the men’s 20km event is 1:24:00.

Paris Olympian Akshdeep Singh and Paramjeet Singh Bisht are seen as strong contenders for a podium position in the men’s 20km race walk.

Akshdeep possesses the men’s 20km national record of 1:19:55, which he set in 2023 in Ranchi. The Punjab racewalker expressed optimism about outperforming his competitors and securing a place in the upcoming Asian Championships.

“The course is excellent, and I’m anticipating a great time on Saturday,” said the Punjab athlete.

The men’s 35km event has attracted a substantial lineup of 14 athletes from the Indian Army, with Army’s international race walker Ram Baboo leading the charge. The challenging 35km race walk for women has drawn 11 athletes, with main contenders including Manju Rani, Ramandeep Kaur, and Payal.

The qualification benchmarks for the World Athletics Championships in the men’s 20km race walk stand at 1:19:20, while the automatic qualification time for the women’s 20km is 1:29:00. For the men’s 35km, the qualification is 2:28:00, and for the women’s 35km, it is 2:48:00.

The competition will also feature events in the U20 boys and girls categories on Saturday, with the boys' division attracting 48 athletes.