Race walker Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami book tickets for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Punjab’s 23-year-old Akshdeep Singh is set to feature at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He outclassed a strong field of 48 athletes to win gold in the men’s 20km event at the 10th National Race Walking Championships in Ranchi on Tuesday.

On his way to winning the maiden national men’s race walk title, the Punjab athlete clocked 1:19:55 seconds to better the previous national record of 1:20:16. He is also the first Indian race walker to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2023 World Athletics Championships.

“I have been working hard for the past 12 months. I am happy to have achieved my goal of winning a ticket to the Paris Olympic Games,” the elated Indian Navy athlete told Sportskeeda after winning the gold medal in Ranchi.

Olympian Priyanka Goswami of Uttar Pradesh also won gold in the women’s 20km race walk and qualified for the Paris Olympic Games and the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Priyanka’s performance of 1:28:50 was better than the Olympic Games qualifying mark of 1:29:20. The Uttar Pradesh athlete is the current national record holder with a timing of 1:28:45 set last year in Ranchi.

“After not so encouraging performance in 2022, I am satisfied with my performance in the first competition of the 2023,” Priyanka said after winning the gold medal in Ranchi.

Akshdeep is one of those athletes who has graduated to the senior rank from the junior section. In 2018, he clocked 40 minutes and 47 seconds to set a national record in U20 men’s 10km race in Ranchi.

Last year, the Punjab athlete finished second in the senior 20km event. Akshdeep joined the national camp last November and practised at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru. The emphasis in the national camp has been on the race walking technique.

“The overall hard work has enabled me to break the hour and 20 minute barrier for the 20km,” the national champion said.

From being a casual fitness freak to breaking the national record and earning a ticket for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it has been seven long years of hard work for the Punjab athlete.

“I used to come to the ground for morning walks but started competitive race walking under the tutelage of Gurdev Sir,” the national champion from Punjab recalls. “It took me nearly seven long years to reach a good level.”

Gurdev Singh, a former Services 20km race walking national champion and national coach, is based in Patiala these days.

Suraj Panwar and Sandeep Kumar miss out on Paris Olympics berth

Suraj Panwar, Uttarakhand’s promising athlete, finished second in the men’s 20km and broke the previous national record. Panwar, however, narrowly missed out on the Paris Olympics qualification mark of 1:20:10.

Olympian and defending champion Sandeep Kumar finished a disappointing seventh.