Paris Olympics 2024: Indian race walkers miss out on medals

Paramjeet Singh Bisht, Akshdeep Singh, Vikas Singh, and Priyanka Goswami fail to impress.

The sixth day of the Paris Olympics 2024 saw the 20km race walk finals take place, with India fielding a strong contingent of athletes. While Priyanka Goswami was India’s sole participant in the women’s 20km raw walk event, the men’s event had three in Paramjeet Singh Bisht, Akshdeep Singh, and Vikas Singh. However, despite high hopes, the Indian athletes returned empty-handed from the event.

Weather played a role in the day’s proceedings, as thunderstorms caused a 30-minute delay to the start of the race. The event, originally scheduled for 11:00 AM, was pushed back to 11:30 AM due to the inclement conditions.

In the men’s race, Vikash Singh emerged as the top performer for India, finishing 30th with a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes, and 36 seconds. This result came as a surprise, given Singh’s fifth-place finish at the previous year’s Asian Games. Paramjeet Singh Bisht, making his Olympic debut, crossed the finish line in 37th place with a time of 1:23:48.

Unfortunately, national record holder Akshdeep Singh was unable to complete the race, withdrawing after just 6 kilometers.

Disappointing from Men's 20km Walk at 2024 Paris Olympics💔Vikash Singh finished 3️⃣0️⃣th while Paramjeet Singh Bisht ended 37th. Akshdeep Singh did not finish the race walk. #Paris2024 #Paris #OlympicGames #Olympic2024 #OlympicGamesParis2024 pic.twitter.com/2pL05uwevg

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 1, 2024

The gold medal in the men’s event went to Brian Daniel Pintado of Ecuador, who clocked in at 1:18:55. Brazil’s Caio Bonfim secured silver with a time of 1:19:09, while Spain’s Alvaro Martin took bronze, finishing in 1:19:11.

In the women’s race, India’s hopes rested on Priyanka Goswami, who had previously competed at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Goswami struggled to find her form, finishing 42nd with a time of 1:35:11, a significant drop from her 17th place finish in Tokyo.

🇮🇳 India's Priyanka Goswami finishes 4️⃣1️⃣ st in Women's 20km Walk event. Earlier, Vikash Singh finished 30th while Paramjeet Singh Bisht ended 37th. Akshdeep Singh did not finish the race walk in the men's 20km event. #Paris2024 #Paris #OlympicGames #Olympic2024… pic.twitter.com/orZtemtfZ7

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 1, 2024

The women’s podium saw Yang of China clinch gold with a season-best time of 1:25:54. Spain’s Maria Perez claimed silver, also with a season-best performance of 1:26:19. The bronze medal went to Australia’s Jemima Montag, who set an Area record with a time of 1:26:25.

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