India’s athletics campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024 faced another setback as Parul Chaudhary and Ankita Dhyani failed to advance to the medal race in the women’s 5000m event.
In the initial heats, Ankita Dhyani finished in 20th place with a time of 16:19.38. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon led the heats with a remarkable time of 14:57.56, surpassing her personal best of 15:28.08. Only the top eight runners from each heat qualified for the final, leaving Ankita short of advancing.
Parul Chaudhary, India’s Asian Games gold medalist, competed in the second heat and clocked a time of 15:10.68. Although this performance was near her national record of 15:10.35, it was only enough for 14th place. Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet dominated this heat with a leading time of 15:00.73.
In other updates, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, the national record holder and Asian Games gold medalist, is set to compete in the men’s shot put qualification round, scheduled to begin at 11:40 PM.
India’s Priyanka Goswami completed the women’s 20km race walk with a time of 1:39:55, securing 41st place. She was the sole Indian representative in the event. Yang Jiayu of China won gold with a season-best time of 1:25:54, while Spain’s Maria Perez earned silver with 1:26:19. Australia’s Jemima Montag took bronze with a record time of 1:26:25.
In the men’s 20km race walk, Vikash Singh achieved a time of 1:22:36, placing 30th. Despite his solid effort, he was unable to secure a medal. Vikash had previously shown promise by finishing fifth in the Asian Games last year. His compatriot, Paramjeet Singh Bisht, made his Olympic debut, finishing 37th with a time of 1:23:48, marking a significant milestone in his career.
National record holder Akshdeep Singh faced an unfortunate turn of events as he was forced to withdraw after completing only 6 kilometers of the race.
The Indian athletics team continues to face challenges, but the upcoming events, including Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s shot put qualification, offer a glimmer of hope for a stronger finish at the Paris Olympics.
