Indian athletes faced a challenging day in the 20km race walk events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Vikash Singh securing the best result for the country by finishing 30th in the men’s race on Thursday.
In the women’s 20km race walk, Priyanka Goswami, a silver medalist from the Commonwealth Games 2022, finished 41st out of 45 competitors. She clocked a time of 1:39:55, significantly slower than her personal best and the national record of 1:28:45 set in 2021. Priyanka’s performance was a notable drop from her 17th-place finish in Tokyo three years ago, where she recorded a time of 1:32.36.
Asian Games champion Yang Jiayu of the People’s Republic of China claimed the gold medal in the women’s event with a time of 1:25:54, despite the humid conditions. She was followed by world champion Maria Perez of Spain, who clocked 1:26:19, and Australia’s Jemima Montag, who finished at 1:26:25.
Three Indian men competed in the 20km race walk, held on a one-kilometer circuit at the Pont d’Iéna bridge near the Eiffel Tower. Akshdeep Singh, who holds the national record of 1:19:55 set in 2023, unfortunately pulled out of the race around the 6km mark and did not finish. Vikash Singh completed the race in 1:22:36, securing 30th place, while Paramjeet Singh Bisht finished 37th with a time of 1:23:48.
In the men’s event at Tokyo 2020, Sandeep Kumar was the best-placed Indian, finishing 23rd with a time of 1:25:07. At Paris 2024, Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado won the men’s 20km race walking gold medal in 1:18:55, followed by Brazil’s Caoi Bonfim (1:19:09) and Spain’s Alvaro Martin (1:19:11).
Priyanka Goswami will have another opportunity to compete, pairing up with Suraj Panwar for the newly introduced race walk mixed marathon event on August 7.
Men’s 20km Race Walk Final Results:
| Position | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Brian Daniel Pintado | Ecuador | 1:18:55 |
| Silver | Caoi Bonfim | Brazil | 1:19:09 |
| Bronze | Alvaro Martin | Spain | 1:19:11 |
| 30th | Vikash Singh | India | 1:22:36 |
| 37th | Paramjeet Singh Bisht | India | 1:23:48 |
Women’s 20km Race Walk Final Results:
| Position | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Yang Jiayu | People’s Republic of China | 1:25:54 |
| Silver | Maria Perez | Spain | 1:26:19 |
| Bronze | Jemima Montag | Australia | 1:26:25 |
| 41st | Priyanka Goswami | India | 1:39:55 |
Paris 2024 Olympics Schedule for Indian Athletes:
| Date | Event | Stage | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1 | Men’s 20km race walk | Final | 11:00 PM |
| August 1 | Women’s 20km race walk | Final | 12:50 PM |
| August 2 | Women’s 5000m | Round 1 | 9:40 PM |
| August 2 | Men’s shot put | Qualification | 11:40 PM |
| August 3 | Men’s shot put | Final | 11:05 PM |
| August 4 | Women’s 3000m steeplechase | Round 1 | 1:35 PM |
| August 4 | Men’s long jump | Qualification | 2:30 PM |
| August 5 | Women’s 400m | Round 1 | 3:25 PM |
| August 5 | Men’s 3000m steeplechase | Round 1 | 10:34 PM |
| August 6 | Women’s 5000m | Final | 12:40 AM |
| August 6 | Men’s javelin throw | Qualification (Group A) | 1:50 PM |
| August 6 | Women’s 400m | Repechage | 2:50 PM |
| August 6 | Men’s javelin throw | Qualification (Group B) | 3:20 PM |
| August 6 | Men’s long jump | Final | 11:50 PM |
| August 7 | Women’s 3000m steeplechase | Final | 12:40 AM |
| August 7 | Marathon race walk relay mixed | Final | 11:00 AM |
| August 7 | Men’s high jump | Qualification | 1:35 PM |
| August 7 | Women’s 100m hurdles | Round 1 | 1:45 PM |
| August 7 | Women’s javelin throw | Qualification (Group A) | 1:55 PM |
| August 7 | Women’s javelin throw | Qualification (Group B) | 3:20 PM |
| August 7 | Men’s Triple Jump | Qualification | 10:45 PM |
| August 8 | Women’s 400m | Semi-final | 12:15 AM |
| August 8 | Men’s 3000m steeplechase | Final | 1:10 AM |
| August 8 | Women’s 100m hurdles | Repechage | 2:05 PM |
| August 8 | Men’s javelin throw | Final | 11:55 PM |
| August 9 | Women’s 4 x 400m relay | Round 1 | 2:10 PM |
| August 9 | Men’s 4 x 400m relay | Round 1 | 2:35 PM |
| August 9 | Women’s 100m hurdles | Semi-final | 3:35 PM |
| August 9 | Women’s 400m | Final | 11:30 PM |
| August 9 | Men’s triple jump | Final | 11:40 PM |
| August 10 | Men’s high jump | Final | 10:40 PM |
| August 10 | Women’s javelin throw | Final | 11:10 PM |
| August 10 | Women’s 100m hurdles | Final | 11:15 PM |
| August 11 | Men’s 4 x 400m relay | Final | 12:42 AM |
| August 11 | Women’s 4 x 400m relay | Final | 12:52 AM |
Where to Watch Athletics at Paris 2024 Olympics Live in India:
Live streaming of the Paris 2024 Olympics athletics events will be available on Jio Cinema in India. Live telecasts of the events will be on the Sports 18 Network TV channel in India.
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