NewKerala.com

Key Points

India's World Athletics Championships campaign got off to a poor start in the 35km race walk events. Priyanka Goswami finished 24th in the women's event while Sandeep Kumar came 23rd in the men's competition. The team suffered a further setback with Ram Baboo's disqualification. All eyes now turn to star javelin thrower and defending champion Neeraj Chopra.

Key Points: India's World Athletics Championships Start with Race Walk Disappointment

  • Priyanka Goswami finished 24th in women's 35km race walk
  • Sandeep Kumar placed 23rd in the men's event
  • Ram Baboo was disqualified from the competition
  • Neeraj Chopra headlines 19-athlete Indian squad
2 min read

World Athletics C'ships: India's campaign off to poor start in race walk event

India's campaign at the World Athletics Championships begins with mid-pack finishes in the 35km race walk and a disqualification for Ram Baboo.

"Ram Baboo, however, faced disqualification. - Article"

Tokyo, September 13

India's campaign at World Athletics Championships kickstarted on Saturday in 35 km race walk event, with Priyanka Goswami registering a 24th place finish in women's while Sandeep Kumar finishing 23rd in men's event.

Ram Baboo, however, faced disqualification. The World Championships are being held in Tokyo from Thursday and will run till September 21, as per Olympics.com. This is the 20th edition of the competition.

The Indian contingent features a total of 19 players, including 14 men and five women players, who will be vying for medals in 15 different events, 11 for men and four for women.

The current javelin throw world champion Neeraj Chopra, who became the first-ever Indian to land a gold at the world meet, is the headliner in the team, alongside long jump star Murali Sreeshankar, women's javelin national record-holder Annu Rani and rising star Animesh Kujur, who is set to become the first Indian sprinter to compete at the World Championships.

Also, triple jumper Praveen Chitravel, 3000m steeplechase runner Parul Chaudhary and Abdulla Aboobacker are among the other key names in the squad. Gulveer Singh and Pooja will be doubling up in two events each as well.

Heading into the meet, Indian athletes have won three World Championship medals, Anju Bobby George's long jump bronze at Paris 2003, Neeraj Chopra's javelin silver at Oregon 2022 and his monumental gold at Budapest 2023.

Over 2,000 athletes across 200 nations are aiming for a medal at the championships, with a massive 147 medals on the line in 49 different events.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Heartbreaking for Ram Baboo getting disqualified after all that training. Race walking rules are so strict! Hope he gets another chance soon. The pressure must be immense at this level.
S
Sarah B
Finishing in the 20s out of world-class athletes is actually decent for a country where race walking isn't popular. We need to appreciate the effort these athletes put in with limited resources.
A
Arjun K
Our athletics federation needs to invest more in sports other than cricket. These athletes represent us at world stage with minimal support. Time for corporate India to step up! 🏃‍♂️💪
M
Meera T
Let's focus on the positives - we have 19 athletes competing across 15 events! That itself shows progress. Waiting for Neeraj's javelin event - he's our real medal hope! ✨
D
David E
The fact that India has only won 3 World Championship medals in history shows how far we have to go in athletics. But with Neeraj's success, hopefully this inspires a new generation of athletes.
K
Kavya N
Respect to all athletes representing India! The heat and humidity in Tokyo must be challenging. Hope they get proper acclimatization and support. Looking forward to better results in coming events 🙏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50