India’s 20km walk champion KT Irfan fails to qualify for Jakarta Asian Games

The seasoned athlete was way off the qualifying mark while trailing in 49th at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in China.

National 20km walk champion, KT Irfan, and compatriots failed in their bid for Asian Games qualification after faring badly in the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships at Ticang, China on Sunday.

Indian 20km walk champion KT Irfan has failed to qualify for the Asian Games to be held in Jakarta later this year. (Hindustan Times)

Irfan clocked One hour, 29 minutes, 12 seconds to finish 49th, coming nowhere near the qualifying mark of 1:22.00 announced last week by the Athletics Federation of India for the August-September Jakarta Games. Vikas Singh (1:31.50-64th) and Neeraj Singh (1:32.56-71st) were the other two in the fray. India were 14th in the team championship.

READ | India’s 20km walker B Soumya makes cut for 2018 Asian Games

Manish Singh qualified for Asian Games after clocking 1:22 to finish sixth in the April Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Irfan had managed only 1:27.34 to finish 14th before being ousted from the Games after officials found a syringe in the room he shared with another athlete, contravening the ‘no needles’ policy to deter doping.

National women’s 20km walker, B Soumya, had qualified for the Asian Games on Saturday, clocking 1:34.54. Although she came 37th in a field of 79, she came more than a minute under the qualifying norm. Kushbir Kaur, the 2014 Incheon Asian Games silver medallist, missed mark in China by five seconds but will be considered for selection.