Nationwide document holder Sandeep Kumar was going sturdy at second place until close to the midway mark however he light in a while to complete twenty third with a below-par timing within the males’s 20km race stroll occasion within the Olympics right here on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Kumar crossed the end line in 1 hour 25 minutes and seven seconds, effectively outdoors his nationwide document time of 1:20:16 which he had clocked in February to qualify for the Olympics throughout the Nationwide Open Race Stroll Championships in Ranchi.
His two different compatriots, Rahul Rohilla (1:32:06) and KT Irfan (1:34:41) introduced up the rear at forty seventh and 51st with disappointing performances below scorching and humid situations.
Fifty-seven athletes began within the competitors and 52 completed their races. 5 had been both disqualified or DNF (Did Not End).
Italian Massimo Stano received gold in 1:21:05, whereas the Japanese pair of Ikeda Koki (1:21:28) and Yamanishi Toshikazu (1:21:46) took the silver and bronze respectively.
Kumar, who shifted from 50km race stroll to 20km occasion as it’ll now not be an Olympic occasion from the subsequent version, was scorching on the heels of 2018 Asian Video games gold medallist Kaihua Wang of China until the 8km mark because the duo took preliminary lead.
However slowly Kumar dropped again to be with the chasing pack. He additionally received his second warning round that point.
Kumar had taken half in 50km race stroll in 2016 Olympics—the place he completed thirty fifth—however the occasion will now not characteristic within the Video games as it’s powerful for girls to compete in it and gender parity has turn into the norm in world competitions.
For the 31-year-old Irfan, it has been a downward journey in the previous few years. He additionally competed within the 2012 London Olympics the place he completed a creditable tenth with a time of 1:20:21 (then nationwide document).
He was the primary monitor and area athlete to qualify for the Olympics manner again in March 2019 however he was one of many two athletes on the verge of being overlooked of the Tokyo Olympics crew on account of dip in type.
His efficiency throughout a health trial on July 9 was under par however the AFI cleared him, together with lengthy jumper M Sreeshankar, on the bottom that it was not a efficiency trial.
His final competitors earlier than Thursday’s occasion was throughout the Nationwide Race Strolling Championships in March, the place he didn’t end the race. He had contracted Covid-19 in Could and has recovered since then. PTI
