Ram Baboo wins bronze medal in 20km Race Walk at the Dudinska 50 meet with a personal best; qualifies for Paris Olympics 2024

Indian athlete, Ram Baboo delivered an outstanding performance in the Dudinska 50 2024 sports tournament in Dudince, Slovakia, winning bronze in the men's 20 km race walk.

Not only did he finish on the podium, but he also surpassed the qualification threshold for the Paris 2024 Olympics, clocking in at one hour and 20 minutes (1:20:00), exceeding the needed time of 1:20:10.

In a closely contested event, Peru's Cesar Augusto Rodriguez won the gold medal with a time of 1:19:41, while Ecuador's Brian Daniel Pintado took the silver in 1:19:44.

The Olympic qualifying is a significant step forward for Baboo, who struggled financially in his early years. Born into a financially challenged home, Baboo had to find creative means to fulfil his sports goals.

He worked as a waiter to fund his education and even assisted his father in road building via the MGNREGA plan during the Covid-19 blockade.

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New personal best and Olympic qualification for Ram Baboo

Ram Baboo's achievement in the Dudinska 50 set a new personal best for him in the 20km race walk category. His previous record of 1:21:04 was set during the 2024 South Asian and Indian Race Walking Championships in Chandigarh.

Baboo, an Asian Games bronze medalist, has now joined the ranks of great Indian race walkers who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Notably, Akshdeep Singh, Vikas Singh, Paramjeet Bisht, Suraj Panwar, Servin Sebastian, and Arshpreet Singh have all accomplished this feat before.

Despite meeting the entry standard, the ultimate selection for the Paris 2024 Olympics is up to the National Olympic Committees. Each country federation, including the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), can submit a maximum of three competitors to the men's 20km race walk event.

Interestingly, numerous Indian race walkers, including Akshdeep, Arshpreet, Vikas, Paramjeet, Servin, and Eknath Turambekar, were registered for the Dudinska 50 but did not participate. Meanwhile, Baboo owns the national record in the men's 35 km race walk, demonstrating his athletic skill.

As the AFI prepares for the final selection in June, the fight for Olympic places heats up. Priyanka Goswami is the only female walker from India who has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

His bronze medal in the Dudinska 50, together with his qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics, not only represents personal triumph, but also acts as a light of hope for other athletes facing similar problems. Ram Baboo's tale exemplifies the transformational power of athletics and the unbreakable spirit of the human will.