Paris Olympics 2024 Women’s 3000m Steeplechase: Parul Chaudhary registers season best; crashes out with eighth-place finish in heats

India’s national record-holding 3000m steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary finished in the eighth spot in the qualification round of the Paris Olympics 2024 to bow out of the competition at the Stade de France on Sunday, August 4.

Parul competed in the first heat of the women’s 3000m steeplechase event and secured her season-best timing of 9:23.39 seconds. However, it wasn’t enough for her to finish in the top five and secure direct qualification for the final.

Earlier, she was also part of the 5000m race event but failed to qualify for the final after finishing in the 14th position in her qualification heat, registering her season-best timing of 15:10.68 seconds.

Parul Chaudhary earned direct qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

Asian Games silver medallist steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary was part of the high-altitude training in the United States of America for a few months before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Though she achieved her season best, she put up a below-par effort compared to her national record of 9:15.31 seconds, recorded at the Budapest World Championships in 2023.

The top five athletes from each heat advanced to the final. Reigning Olympic champion from Uganda, Peruth Chemutai secured the top spot in the first heat, clocking 9:10.51 seconds while Kenya’s Faith Cherotich (9:10.57 seconds) and Germany’s Gesa Felicitas Krause (9:10.68 seconds) settled for second and third spots, respectively.

USA's Wayment Courtney (9:10.72 seconds) and Lomi Muleta from Ethiopia (9:10.723 seconds) secured the other two spots in the final.

It’s worth noting that Parul Chaudhary made the cut for the 3000m steeplechase event at the Paris Olympics after surpassing the entry standard set at 9:23.000 seconds after her effort at the Budapest Meet in 2023.

Lalita Babar remains the only Indian female 3000m steeplechaser to make it to the final round of the Olympics (in Rio in 2016), eventually finishing in the 10th spot.

In July 2023, Parul Chaudhary secured a gold medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase event at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. At the Asian Games in October 2023, she clinched the silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase and a gold medal in the 5000m race event.