"I’m fit enough to run better than the Asian Games qualification time" - Olympian marathoner Rawat

Olympian marathoner Nitendra Singh Rawat is eyeing the New Delhi National Marathon in February to qualify for this year's Asian Games after deciding not to take the challenging Boston Marathon route in April despite being eligible to participate.

"Since the Boston Marathon is very challenging, particularly the 'heartbreak hill' at the 20-mile mark, it will be difficult to achieve a good time. Hence I don’t want to take a risk this year," said Indian Armyman Rawat, who finished overall 31st in a time of 2 hours 22 minutes at the rescheduled 2021 Boston Marathon in October.

“I couldn’t sleep because of the long-distance flight to Boston from India. Moreover, a day before the race, I only slept for an hour. On race day, I was feeling lethargic and wasn’t able to give my best," said Rawat of his 2021 Boston Marathon experience.

Nitendra Singh Rawat's eyes firmly on Hangzhou

Currently based at the Kumaon Regiment Training Center in Ranikhet, Rawat has his eyes firmly on the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.

“I'm looking forward to competing at the New Delhi’s National Marathon in February. If the race is rescheduled due to the Covid-19 third wave, I might have to think of another race to qualify for the Asian Games,” said Rawat of his future plans.

The 2016 South Asian Games marathon champion has a personal best of 2:15:18. He qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games along with T Gopi and Kheta Ram. However, the Army runner strained his hamstring during the race and finished down the ladder.

Rawat struggled with injuries in the 2018 and 2019 seasons and missed qualification for the Tokyo Olympics. After winning the 2019 Mumbai Marathon in January, he competed at the London Marathon in April, but missed the Doha World Championships due to a niggle.

“I’m fit enough to run better than the Asian Games qualification time of 2:18:48. All I need is a good platform to showcase my mettle,” he concluded.