Started race walking for bags that medallists got: Priyanka Goswami
Koi abhi bol de mujhse ki 2km chal ke le aao kuchh, main cab karne ka sochungi,” quips Priyanka Goswami, the athlete who recently created a national record in women’s 20km race walking, and clinched a berth at the Tokyo Olympics.
Goswami finished the race in 1:28:45, beating the previous national record of 1:29:54 held by Bhawna Jat, to win the women’s event at the 8th National and International Race Walking Championships 2021 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Now hoping to win laurels for the country, at her first ever appearance at the Olympics, Goswami remembers the time when the pandemic had almost ended her dreams after she missed the qualification mark by a mere 36 seconds at the same event last year. “I worked very hard. I want to better myself in the coming months. And I’m aiming for 1:27 at the Tokyo Games, to win a medal for India!”
A junior clerk in Indian Railways, her success story had humble beginnings. “I dabbled in gymnastics in school for about six months before trying out athletics. But the truth is that I started running because medallists ko prize mein bags milte the. I wanted one of those bags. Then in one race walking event since there were only three girls participating, my coach asked me to walk with them. That’s when I won my first bronze medal, and a bag too,” recalls the athlete. The very mention of ‘20km’ seems like a daunting task to anyone. And Goswami shares that it does take a lot of mental strength. “I used to think races would be 3-5km long. Only when I started participating in nationals did I get to know that it’s 20 kilometres long!” she adds. Goswami, who also loves to pose of the camera, confesses, “I was interested in doing fashion designing too. I’ll jump at a modelling opportunity if that ever happens (laughs).”