National race walking competition in Chandigarh to be held on Saturday

IANS April 18, 2025 291 views

The 12th Indian Open Race Walking competition is set to take place at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh this Saturday. Two-time Olympian Priyanka Goswami will headline the women's 20km event, aiming to secure her Asian Championships qualification. Multiple athletes from the Indian Army and national athletes will compete across different race walk categories. The event promises intense competition with athletes targeting Olympic and championship qualification times.

"I'm fit and should be able to clock a good time tomorrow" - Priyanka Goswami
Chandigarh, April 18: Two-time Olympian and national record holder Priyanka Goswami will look ahead to dominating the women's 20km event at the 12th edition of the Indian Open Race Walking competition at the picturesque Sukhna Lake here on Saturday.

Key Points

1

National record holder targets 1:32:00 qualification time

2

20 women and 46 men compete in race walking event

3

Akshdeep Singh and Paramjeet Singh Bisht lead men's competition

Priyanka's main focus on Saturday will be to achieve the qualification time of 1:32:00 for the women's 20km event set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the Asian Athletics Championships to be held May 27 to 31. "I'm fit and should be able to clock a good time tomorrow," the 29-year-old national record holder said.

Priyanka's personal best and national record in women's 20km is 1:28:45, recorded in 2021 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Earlier this year, in March, she also improved the national women's 35km race walk record to 2:56.34 in Slovakia.

The women's 20km event has attracted 20 athletes. While the men's 20 km race walk will witness 46 elite runners, the majority of them from the Indian Army battle it out for a podium finish. 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 considered the main contenders for the podium finish in the men's 20km race walk.

Akshdeep holds the men's 20km national record of 1:19:55, which he clocked in 2023 in Ranchi. The Punjab racewalker exuded confidence to stay ahead of his rivals and book a berth for the upcoming Asian Championships.

"The route is good and I'm expecting a good time on Saturday," the Punjab racewalker said.

The men's 35km event has attracted a big group of 14 athletes from the Indian army. Army's international race walker Ram Baboo will spearhead the challenge. The gruelling 35km race walk in the women's group has attracted 11 athletes. The main contenders will be Manju Rani, Ramandeep Kaur, and Payal.

The World Athletics Championships qualification time in men's 20km race walk is 1:19:20. The automatic qualification time in women's 20km race walk is 1:29:00. The automatic qualification time in men's 35km is 2:28:00. The qualification time in women's 35km is 2:48:00.

The competition will also be conducted in the U20 boys and girls groups on Saturday. The boys' section has attracted as many as 48 athletes.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
So excited for this event! Sukhna Lake is such a beautiful location for race walking. Rooting for Priyanka to smash that qualification time! 🚶‍♀️💨
S
Sunita P.
Interesting to see so many Army participants in the men's events. Race walking doesn't get enough attention compared to other athletics - glad to see it getting coverage!
A
Amit S.
While I appreciate the coverage, I wish the article had included more details about the U20 competitions. These young athletes are the future of Indian race walking!
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Priya M.
Priyanka's national record is seriously impressive! 1:28:45 for 20km is no joke. Hope she can get close to that tomorrow. Go Priyanka! 🇮🇳
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Vikram J.
The 35km events sound brutal! Respect to all the athletes participating in that distance. Ram Baboo has been consistent - expecting big things from him.
N
Neha R.
Does anyone know if there will be live streaming of the event? Would love to watch but can't make it to Chandigarh. #RaceWalking

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Tags:
Race Walking Priyanka Goswami Asian Athletics Championships Chandigarh Olympic Qualification Sukhna Lake