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AFI Media Chandigarh Aspiring athletes aiming to cement their place in the national squad for the July 26 to August 11 Paris Olympic Games are both mentally and physically tuned to deliver the goods during the 11th edition of the Indian Open Race Walking competition. The two-day season opening domestic platform, an Olympic qualifying competition will be held at the picturesque Sukhna Lake. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will also select the national team for the inaugural marathon race walking mixed relay. The four-leg event comprises one male and one female athlete. Each athlete will cover approximately 10km in each leg. Top 22 teams will get automatic qualification during the World Athletics Race Walk Team Championships to be held in Antalya. Turkey on April 20-21. The women’s 20km race is wide open, but a keen contest is on cards in the men’s 20km event. Top three positions in the men’s 20km is expected to be contested between Akashdeep Singh, national record holder, Vikash Singh, Asian bronze medalist, Paramjeet Bisht and Suraj Panwar. Of the above four athletes, the 23 years old Suraj Panwar from Uttarakhand looked hungry. Reason: Last year he clocked 1:20:11 to narrowly miss the Paris Olympic Games qualification time of 1:20:10. “I will try my best to breach the Olympic Games qualification time,” Suraj Panwar said of his Tuesday’s plan. The qualification period for race walkers started December 31, 2022 and will end on June 30, 2024. Akashdeep Singh, Vikash Singh and Paramjeet Bist, however, have already achieved Paris qualification time last year and are looking ahead to further cement their positions in the team. Each national federation is entitled to send three athletes in the 20km race walk. “I’m taking the season opening competition in Chandigarh very seriously,” the 27 years old Vikash Singh from Delhi, said after his Monday practice session. Vikash Singh, in fact had emerged the most successful race walker in 2023 season. The Delhi race walker set a personal best of 1:20:05 in Japan in March 2023 to better the Paris Olympic qualification time of 1:20:10. Later in the 2023 season he won bronze at the Asian meet held in Thailand. He clocked 1:21:58 to finish 27th at the Budapest World Athletics Championships. The men’s 20km race scheduled for Tuesday has attracted as many as 51 athletes. While 21 athletes will jostle for top three positions in the women’s 20km. Priyanka Goswami has qualified in the women’s 20km group. Priyanka will skip the Chandigarh competition as she is practicing in Australia in preparation for the Paris Olympic Games. The men’s 35km will see 26 athletes competing for medals, the women’s 35km has attracted eight entries only. Apart from the senior group, competition will also be organised in the U-20 boys and girls section. The distance in the junior group will be 10km. Two athletes from Sri Lanka, including one female will also compete in the 20km event. The competition will start at 10am.

India’s promising race walkers -- Punjab’s 24 years old Akshdeep Singh and 23 years old Suraj Panwar from Uttarakhand battled for supremacy in the 11th edition of the Indian Open Race Walking competition here on Tuesday. Enroute to breaching the national men’s 20km record, both the athletes bettered the Paris Olympic Games qualification time of 1:20:10.

In fact conducive weather conditions at this time of the year in Chandigarh enabled top four athletes in the men’s 20km race walk to better the Olympic Games qualification time. Initially, photo-finish results indicated the top two athletes were within the Olympic Games qualification time. Later as per chip timings four athletes were within the Paris Games qualification standard.

Day’s honour however went to Askdeep Singh who crossed the finish line at 1:19:38 to win back-to-back national titles. His gold medal winning time was an improvement of his previous national record of 1:19:55 clocked last year at Indian Open Race Walking competition held in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Suraj Panwar’s Tuesday performance of 1:19:44.00 gave him a chance to join the group of Olympic qualifiers including Akshdeep Singh. Paramjeet Singh Bisht and Vikash Singh were successful in achieving the Paris Olympic Games qualification time in 2023. On Tuesday, both Paramjeet Singh Bisht and Vikash Singh finished in the top ten.

Servin of Tamil Nadu finished third (1:20:03.00) in the men’s 20km, while Arshpreet Singh of Punjab fourth (1:20:04.00). Both the athletes have also bettered the Olympic Games qualification mark in Chandigarh.

Only three athletes will be eligible to represent India at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as per World Athletics qualification guidelines, Radhakrishnan Nair, chief athletics coach said. The final selection will take place later in June.

Akshdeep Singh was confident of sustaining his efforts in coming weeks to cement his place in the national team. “Will have to work smart to stay away from injuries and sustain my performance in coming weeks,” the 24 years old said in post-race interaction.

Suraj Panwar, who had agonisingly missed the Olympic Games qualification mark last year in Ranchi and have had to battle injuries in the last 10 months, was elated to bounce back into contention for the Olympic Games berth. “It was a great day for me to have broken the one hour 20 minutes barrier in the 20km race walk today in Chandigarh,” Suraj Panwar added. “My job in the coming days will be to stay healthy and maintain my fitness.”

In the women’s 20km race walk, Punjab’s Manju Rani was happy to have won gold in her first race over the 20km. “It was a good day for me. I’m happy to have clocked a 1:33:00.00 in the season opening race to win gold,” Manju Rani said who switched to a shorter distance of 35km.

Olympian and national record holder, Priyanka Goswami has already qualified for the Paris Olympic Games in 2023 season. She skipped the Chandigarh competition as she was practicing in Australia.

Competition in U20 boys and girls was also conducted.

Results: Men 20km: Akshdeep Singh (Punjab) 1:19:38, Suraj Panwar (Uttarakhand) 1:19:44.00, Servin (Tamil Nadu) 1:20:03.00. Arshpreet Singh (Punjab) 1:20:04.00

Women: 20km: Manju Rani (Punjab) 1:33:00.00, Payal (Uttarakhand) 1:33:28.00, Munita Prajapati (Uttarakhand) 1:34.14.00

Girls: U20: 10km: Aarti (Haryana) 47:03.00 NR (49:01.00 Mansi Negi in 2021), Vaishnavi Negi (Uttarakhand) 49:31.00, Chakpram Naocha C (Manipur) 51:21.00.

Boys: U20: 10km: Himanshu Kumar (Uttarakhand) 41:11.00, Aditya Negi (Uttarakhand) 41:12.00, Roshan Kumar (Jharkhand) 41:28.00.

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Punjab’s international race walker, Manju Rani, had a good run at the 11th edition of the National Open Race Walking Competition. The day after winning gold in the women’s 20km, she dominated the senior women’s 10km on Wednesday to brighten her chance to compete in the inaugural marathon race walking mixed relay that will feature at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Manju, 24, gold medal winning time in 10km was 45:20.00. The promising Punjab female race walker had paired with Ram Babu to win bronze in the 35km mixed relay team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Manju was elated to have won back-to-back gold medals at the national competition in Chandigarh. “My main focus will be the mixed relay event this year and I hope to represent India at the Olympic Games,” Manju said after winning gold in the women’s 10km on Wednesday.

The senior 10km race walk was included in the programme by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to select potential athletes for the national team that will compete at the April 20-21 World Athletics Race Walk Team Championships to be held in Antalya, Turkey. During the Turkey competition, top 22 teams will get automatic qualification for the Olympic Games. The final selection of the national team for Turkey will be done in March.

In the men’s 10km event, Sahil of Punjab outclassed more experienced athletes to claim gold. Sahil, 22, a college going student from Patiala clocked 39:25.00. He had finished fifth in the men’s 20km race walk on Tuesday.

Paramjeet Singh Bisht of Uttarakhand was second with a time of 39:36.00, while Asian bronze medalist Vikash Singh of Delhi was third with a time of 39:47.00.

Goa’s Vijay Omkar Vishwakaram won the men’s 35 km race with a time of 2:39:19.00, while the women’s 35km gold went to Bandana Patel of Uttar Pradesh, whose gold-medal winning time was 3:11:06.00.

Results: Sahil (Punjab) 39:25.00, Paramjeet Singh Bisht (Uttarakhand) 39:36.00, Vikash Singh (Delhi) 39:47.00

35km: Vijay Omkar Vishwakaram (Goa) 2:39:19.00, Sagar Satish Chandra (Gujarat) 2:44:22.00, Devender Singh (Haryana) 2:44:58.00.

Women: 10km: Manju Rani (Punjab) 45:20.00, Payal (Uttarakhand) 46:04.00, Mokavi Muthurathinam (Tamil Nadu) 46:10.00.

35km: Bandana Patel (Uttar Pradesh) 3:11:06.00, Pooja Kumari (Punjab) 3:17:51.00, Komal (Haryana) 3:23:06.00.