Servin Sebastian ends Paris Olympics qualification quest despite silver at Slovakia National Championships

Indian racewalker Servin Sebastian managed to win the silver medal in the men's 20,000m racewalk event on Sunday (June 30) at the National Championships being held in Slovakia. Sebastian put up a disappointing performance despite the silver medal.

He finished by clocking a subpar timing of 1:24:42.7. As a result of this outcome, he also ended his dream of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

Sebastian had an opportunity to make the cut. However, it was a difficult chance, with the event happening on track.

The Indian racewalker had been impressive with his fitness this season. He was on track to make the cut for Paris in a meet in Slovakia earlier in May. However, he received a penalty point with two kms to go which saw him finish with a timing of 1:22.20.

The National Championships in Slovakia was the final opportunity for Servin Sebastian to qualify. However, he failed to touch the Paris Olympics qualification mark of 1:20:10s.

As a matter of fact, this proved to be Sebastian's worst timing of the season. He will be thoroughly disappointed and dissatisfied with this run that cost him a Paris Olympics spot.

With a personal best timing of 1:22:06s, Miroslav Uradnik of Slovakia won the gold medal at the event. Michal Duda from Slovakia Republic finished third with a timing of 1:32:17.9.

On the other hand, Ram Baboo had a disappointing outing at the National Championships. He was disqualified in the final. However, he had already touched the Paris Olympics qualification mark of 1:20:10s. Baboo clocked a personal time of 1:20:00 at the Dudinska 50 Meet in Slovakia, winning a bronze in the gold-level event last year in February-March.

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AFI to pick final racewalking team as Servin Sebastian misses out

As Servin Sebastian missed out on the opportunity to make the cut for Paris, India will now have only four racewalkers who have met the qualifying mark. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will now have to make the final decision on which of the three athletes will represent India at the Paris Olympics.

The four Indian racewalkers who achieved the qualifying mark are - Vikas Singh, Ram Baboo, Akshdeep Singh, and Paramjeet Singh Bisht. Ram Baboo had a splendid opportunity to present his case with a fine showing at the National Championships in Slovakia on Sunday. However, he failed to impress.