Sandeep betters national mark

In all, six walkers, including three in 20km, qualify for World Championships

THERE WAS hardly any competition for Sandeep Kumar in the 50km category at the the national race walk championship here on Saturday but he still managed to break the national record, one which stood in his name.

Races in all three walk categories — women’s 20km and men’s 50 and 20 km — were held in a one kilometre loop around Vinay Marg on a pleasant morning. All podium finishers in the men’s 50km, which was won by Sandeep, and men’s 20km, qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August. Sandeep bettered his national record with a timing of 3 hours, 55 minutes and 59 seconds. As Sandeep calmly crossed the finish line, the spectators, mostly curious onlookers, had to wait another six minutes to see the next man — Jitender Singh — cross the line. With the qualifying mark for the World Champions being set at four hours and six minutes, Jitender (4:02.11) and Chandan Singh (4:02.18) — the third-place finisher — also made the cut.

In the 20 km event, KT Irfan (1:22.43), Devender Singh (1:22:43) and Ganapati K (1:22:57), the top three finishers, were within the World Championship qualifying mark of 1:24:00s

Sandeep first re-wrote the 50km national record at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Taicang, China, in May 2014 with a timing of 3 hours 56 minutes and 22 seconds and improved it by 23 seconds on Saturday.

Such performances show India’s progress in the event over the last couple of years, but when it comes to big-ticket events, the likes of Sandeep often fall short.

In Rio last year, among the walkers, only Manish Rawat put up a creditable display, finishing 13th in the 20km event. Sandeep finished 34th with a timing which was almost 12 minutes slower than his personal best. The rest didn’t fare any better. Khushbir Kaur finished a lowly 54th in the 20km race while Sapana did not finish. Ganapati and Gurmeet (both 20km) were also disqualified. Sandeep’s performance has made him eligible for the London World Championships for which the qualification mark stands at 4 hours 6 minutes, but before that he will most likely compete at the Asian Race Walk Championships in Nomi, Japan, in March. The final list for walkers will be decided by the AFI selection committee. If he makes the cut, Sandeep will not only have to work on his timing but also on holding his nerve.

“It was my first Olympics and I took a lot of pressure on myself. The burden of representing the country on such a big stage and not getting properly acclimatised to the conditions set me back. The weather here (in Delhi) was ideal and being a national event I wasn’t under much pressure,” admitted the Jat Regiment havildar.

Another reason for Sandeep’s big-competition jitters could be lack of exposure at international events. The walking contingent has been making regular trips to Portugal for training in recent years. But participation in big events is rare.

“The federation is working on it. We understand that our athletes need to participate in more competitions,” Athletics Federation of India secretary CK Valson said.

According to him, the race walking nationals is a build-up for August’s World Championships. Most of the walkers who featured in Saturday’s races were from the national camp set up by Russian coach Alexander Artsybashe.

Race walking is highly technical sport where athletes with “weak styles” are constantly wary of being disqualified. The margin for error is minimal. A walker’s front foot must be grounded when the back foot is lifted. The walkers also have to ensure that the front leg is not bent when it comes in contact with the ground. These subtle pointers differentiate walking from running events.

“Our players need to take part in more events. It will not only help them improve their technique but also establish themselves as international walkers. The reputed walkers are less likely to get disqualified as the judges know about them and their technique,” feels coach Alexander.

Sandeep comes from a farming family in Mahendragarh district of Haryana. He had never heard of race walking until he joined the army. “There is no sport I haven’t played. I took part in various sports competitions held in my district for meager prize money (He received Rs 50,000 on Saturday). When I joined the army I was introduced to walking and settled for it,” the father of two says. Sandeep’s confidence has been boosted by Saturday’s victory. “I will train twice a day even when I am on leave.”