ATHLETICS | Servin, Ram Baboo take top honours at Indian Open race walk

Servin Sebastian.
| Photo Credit: File photo: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Servin Sebastian continued his good form this year and clocked another impressive performance to win the 20km event at the 12th Indian Open race walking competition here on Saturday.

Sebastian clocked 1:21.46, close to his personal best of 1:21.23 that he managed at the National Games, to finish on top and inside the Asian Athletics Championships qualification mark of 1:24:00.

In fact, the top-five finishers at the event all managed to go under the AAC qualification time.

“My main goal this season is to stay healthy and injury free and qualify for the World Championships,” Sebastian said. The World Championships automatic qualification time is 1:19:20.

In the 35km race, national record holder Ram Baboo won in 2:32:53.50, ahead of Haryana’s Sandeep Kumar and Vijay Vishwakarma from SSCB while Uttarakhand’s Tushar Panwar took top spot in the 5km under-20 boys’ event.

Among the women, national record holder and Commonwealth Games medallist Priyanka Goswami failed to finish in the 20km even as the 35km event was reduced to 34km after a technical glitch that led to the results being withheld till late evening. Payal won the curtailed event in 2:51:48.76 among the five competitors who finished. Haryana’s Ravina took the top spot in 20km in 1:35:58.80 among the nine out of the 19 walkers who completed.

The results: Men: 35km: 1. Ram Baboo (Army, 2:32:53.50), 2. Sandeep Kumar (Har, 2:35:05.75), 3. Vijay Vishwakarma (SSCB, 2:41:41.49); 20km: Servin Sebastian (TN, 1:21:46.47), 2. Amit (Army, 1:21:51.46), 3. Amanjot Singh (Army, 1:22:12.72); 5km Under-20: 1. Tushar Panwar (Utk, 20:06.83), 2. Sachin Garhwal (Raj, 20:07.43), 3. Ritik Kumar (Raj, 20:20.52).

Women: 34km: 1. Payal (RSPB, 2:51:48.76), 2. Manju Rani (Pun, 2:55:34.19), 3. Ramandeep Kaur (Pun, 2:57:03.94); 20km: 1. Ravina (Har, 1:35:58.80), Munita Prajapati (UP, 1:38:05.60), 3. Shalini (Utk, 1:39:18.90); 5km Under-20: 1. Aarti (Har, 22:32.81), 2. Mahima Choudhary (Raj, 22:52.99), 3. Payal (Har, 24:01.34).