The result of the women’s 35km race walk was held up for hours after the conclusion of the event. Later, the organisers said the results have been withheld due to technical reasons.
This was the second time technical issues have marred a race walk event here. In 2024, during the National Open Race Walking Championship, “faulty readings” had led to the revision of timings of participants by World Athletics.
Later, the world body altogether invalidated all the results of the 20km race walk event.
In Saturday’s event, apparently the participants completed only 34km instead of 35km, though no official was available for comment.
“I have heard that only 34km was completed in the race. I am not sure but that could be the case,” said a race walk coach present at the event.
Payal of Railways, Manju Rani and Ramandeep Kaur — both of Punjab — were seen crossing the ‘finish line’ in that order in the women’s 35km race walk event, before the results were withheld.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s international race walker Servin Sebastian stamped his authority in the men’s 20km event, taking the gold with a time of 1:21:46.47 to better the next month’s Asian Athletics Championship qualification criteria of 1:24:50 set by the AFI.
“My main goal this season is to stay healthy and injury free,” the Tamil Nadu race walker said Sebastian who had won 20km gold at the Uttarakhand National Games in February.
“My next target is to qualify to compete at the World Athletics Championships.” The World Championships automatic qualification time in men’s 20km is 1:19:20. It’s 1:29:00 in the women’s 20km race walk.
Army’s Amit finished second with a time of 1:21:51.46. Amit’s team-mate Amanjot Singh crossed the line in 1:22:12.72 to finish third. Amit and Singh also dipped below the Asian qualification time.
Paris Olympian Paramjeet Singh Bisht finished fourth with a time of 1:23:10.45. National record holder Akshdeep Singh, who was considered favourite to win gold, finished fifth with a time of 1:23:49.18.
The women’s 20km race walk gold went to Ravina of Haryana. She clocked 1:35:58.80. The AFI’s Asian Championships qualification time in the women’s 20km race walk is 1:32:00.
Commonwealth Games medallist and national record holder Priyanka Goswami didn’t finish the race. PTI PDS AT AT AT
