India’s elite race walkers make a mark, with Paris on their minds

A country can send max. 3 athletes in each event to Olympics, and no other track and field discipline in India has qualified athletes exceeding spots on offer

At the first international meet of his race walking career in Japan in March last year, Akshdeep Singh remembers standing at the start line with a smile. Fresh off breaking the men’s 20km race walk national record (1:19:55) a month earlier, the 24-year-old from Punjab had also become the first Indian male to breach the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying mark. His mind was free lining up in Japan, he said, and his heart pumping.

Race walking is considered one of the most technical in athletics. (REUTERS)

A year on, Akshdeep has lowered