National Games 2025 Athletics: 6 finishers break 14-year-old meet record in men’s 20km race walk; breach Asian qualification mark

The National Games 2025 witnessed a historic moment in Indian athletics as six athletes broke a 14-year-old record in the men’s 20km race walk at Ganga Athletics Ground, Maharana Pratap Sports College in Uttarakhand.

The previous record of 1:23.26 was set by Jharkhand’s Gurmeet Singh in 2011. It was comprehensively shattered, with six finishers clocking times below the mark and breaching the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 qualification standard of 1:24.00.

Leading the charge was Servin Sebastian from the Services Sports Control Board, who stormed to victory with a National Games record-breaking time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 23 seconds. He was closely followed by Suraj Panwar (1:21:34), the Paris Olympian from Uttarakhand, who put up a strong fight but had to settle for silver. Punjab’s Amanjot Singh (1:21:42) claimed the bronze medal in a highly competitive race.

Apart from the medalists, three other athletes, Paramjeet Singh Bisht (1:22:02), Ram Baboo (1:22:26), and Mukesh Nitharwal (1:22:52), also finished inside the previous record time.

Uttarakhand’s Sports Minister, Rekha Arya, expressed her excitement over the landmark achievement in Indian athletics.

"This feat not only reflects the enhanced fitness and technical progress of Indian race walkers but also signals the country’s growing stature in international competitions," she said.

She further highlighted how the record-breaking performances indicate India’s strengthening presence in global athletics.

"This performance highlights the continuous improvement of Indian athletes and serves as a promising indicator of India’s strong presence in international athletics in the coming years," Arya added.

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National Games 2025 Athletics: Men's 20km Race Walk Final Results

1. Servin Sebastian (Services) – 1:21:23 (Gold)
2. Suraj Panwar (Uttarakhand) – 1:21:34 (Silver)
3. Amanjot Singh (Punjab) – 1:21:42 (Bronze)
4. Paramjeet Singh Bisht (Services) – 1:22:02
5. Ram Baboo (Uttar Pradesh) – 1:22:26
6. Mukesh Nitharwal (Rajasthan) – 1:22:52
7. Sachin Bohra (Uttarakhand) – 1:24:50
8. Hardeep (Haryana) – 1:26:22
9. Sahil Sahil (Punjab) – 1:26:23
10. Rahul (Haryana) – 1:29:08
11. DNF - Dhananjay Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) – LAP 18 - 1:17:54
12. DNF - Sanabam Singh (Manipur) – LAP 10 - 47:38
13. DNF - Amit Kumar (Chhattisgarh) – LAP 6 - 58:13