ASI Athlete creates history by breaking National Record and Qualifying for Tokyo Olympics 2021

New Delhi, Feb 14 (HS): At the 8th National Race Walking Championship, held at Ranchi, Athletes of ASI created history by Qualifying for Tokyo Olympics 2021. Nb Sub Sandeep Kumar of 16 JAT Regiment won Gold medal and created a new National Record with timing of 1:: 20.16sec & Gdr Rahul of 18 Grenadiers secured Silver medal with timing of 1::20.26sec both the athletes secured berth for Tokyo 2021.

The National Open Race Walking Championships are the first major athletics event after the end of a COVID-19 lock down. The Tokyo Olympics qualification time for men’s 20 km race walk event is 1::21:00sec. A country can send a maximum of three athletes in an individual event. Nb Sub Irfan KT of ASI had already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics way back in March 2019 during the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan.

Sandeep, who represented India in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 50km race walk event, bettered the earlier national record of 1::20:21sec, which was jointly held by Nb Sub Irfan T and Nb Sub Devender Singh.