Race walkers flop as India ends campaign in World Championships
K T Irfan and Khushbir Kaur finished at 23rd and 42nd positions respectively in the men’s and women’s 20km race walk events on the final day of competitions as India ended their miserable World Championships campaign on a disappointing note, here today.
National record holder Khushbir was the first to take the field and she clocked 1 hour 36 minute and 41 seconds, more than two minutes outside her season best of 1 hour 34 minute and one second, to finish 42nd out of 52 competitors who completed the race.
The 24-year-old Punjab athlete, who has a personal best of 1:31:40, had produced her season’s best at the IAAF Race Walk Challenge at Taicang in China in April.
The Indian began with a fast pace but slowed down gradually later on. She was at 15th spot at the 5km mark with a time of 22 minute 25 seconds but by the halfway mark, she had fallen behind to 41st place with a split time of 46 minute 19 seconds.
At the 15km mark, she was at 39th with a time of 1 hour 10 minute and 55 seconds. Yang Jiayu of China won the race in 1 hour 26 minute and 18 seconds.
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