New Delhi: In one of the most amazing moments of the ongoing 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, nine athletes bettered a 26-year-old meet record in a single athletics discipline. On Tuesday, the women’s 10km race walk event returned to the country’s multi-sporting event for the first time since 1999.
Ravina of Haryana won the gold medal in the women’s 10km race walk by clocking a timing of 45.52 seconds. Interestingly, the other eight participants who finished the race also had a better timing than that of the meet record held by Y Bala Devi of Manipur (51.56 seconds) in the 1999 National Games hosted by Imphal in Manipur.
The likes of Shalini (Uttarakhand – 46.12s), Munita Prajapati (Uttar Pradesh – 46.23s), Mokavi Muthurathinam (Tamil Nadu – 46.23s), Payal (Uttarakhand – 47.36s), Reshma Patel (Uttar Pradesh – 48.16s), Mansi Negi (Uttarakhand – 48.32s), Sejal Singh (Maharashtra – 49.33s), Monika (Haryana – 51.45s) all went on to break the meet record.
However, the record will only be named after Ravina in the category of the meet record holder. It was just one of those reverence to witness in the sporting landscape where nine of the 11 participants aced something that was achieved after two and a half decades. The remaining two athletes couldn’t finish the race.
Meanwhile, star racewalker Priyanka Goswami, whose name was listed among the participants for women’s 10km racewalk, did not start the race.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) didn’t keep the racewalk events in the initial roster of the 38th National Games. The national body wanted its racewalkers to focus on major events such as Asian Atheltics Championship and World Atheltics Championship later in the year. The reasoning was to keep them fit and let them be at their peak.
However, the AFI, upon the request from the Games organisers, included the racewalk events. Although the men’s 20km racewalk event was continued, the women’s category had a change in distance. Instead of the women’s 20km racewalk, which has been held since last seven editions, the women’s 10km racewalk was finalised.
Men’s 20km race walk: Another record-shattering event
The record-overhauling spree was witnessed in the men’s 20km racewalk event as well. Six out of the 10 contestants, who finished the race, went on to shatter the Games record, which was set by Gurmeet Singh of Jharkhand with a timing of 1 hour, 23 minutes and 26 seconds.
Services racewalker Servin Sebastien bagged the gold medal with a personal best timing of 1:21.23s, bettering the previous best of 1:21.39s. Uttarakhand’s Suraj Panwar claimed the silver by clocking 1:21.34s and Punjab’s Amanjot Singh took the bronze with 1:21.42s.
Paramjeet Singh Bisht of Services, who competed in the Paris Olympics 20km race walk event, was fourth with a time of 1:22:02. Ram Baboo of Uttar Pradesh, who won a bronze in mixed 35km race walk at the 2022 Asian Games, was fifth with 1:22:26, while Mukesh Nitharwal of Rajasthan sixth with 1:22:52.
The 38th National Games in Uttarakhand witnessed an astonishing feat in women’s 10km race walk. Nine athletes eclipsed a 26-year-old meet record, with Haryana’s Ravina securing gold. This resurgence of the event, absent since 1999, also saw a similar record-breaking performance in the men’s 20km race walk. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
