Lalita Babar wins Gold in 3000m steeplechase event; qualifies for Rio Olympics

Lalita Babar won gold in the 3000m steeple chase event

India have clinched their second gold at the Asian Athletics Championships, being played in Wuhan, China, after Lalita Babar won the Gold in the 3000m steeplechase event on Saturday with a timing of 9:34.13. This is India’s only second gold, after Inderjeet Singh, who finished o top of the podium, in the Shot Put event on Day One of the competition.

The result also holds a larger significance as Babar, courtesy, her gold-winning effort has also qualified for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing that is slated to be held later this year and 2016 Rio Olympics next year.

The 26-year-old Maharashtra-based athlete has had a good last 12 months, where she also clinched the bronze in the same event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, that were held in Glasgow, with a timing of 9:35.37 and in the process of the effort, also went the national record that was held by Sudha Singh of 9:47.70.