National Race Walking Championship: India’s best, Sandeep Kumar long way from making a mark on the world

National record holder Sandeep Kumar did not meet the AFI guidelines for the 2018 Asian Games although he was more than two minutes ahead of his competition in the National Race Walking Championship

Kumar and the rest will still be considered as the guidelines, formulated by AFI, are not strict qualification standards for the Asiad.

Halfway through the 50km event at the National Race Walking Championship in the Capital, it was certain who would grab the title. National record holder Sandeep Kumar looked in good rhythm and wasn’t troubled by any competitor on his way to victory with a timing of 3:56:39s, finishing more than two minutes ahead of the second best Jitendra Rathore, (3:58:55s). Damen Singh finished third with 4:00:34s on the clock.

Kumar seemed pleased with his effort, considering it was the first competition of the season but he was a tad disappointed on not meeting the AFI guidelines for the 2018 Asian Games which stands at 3:55:00s. Kumar also fell short of his national mark by almost 40 seconds. Kumar and the rest will still be considered as the guidelines, formulated by AFI, are not strict qualification standards for the Asiad. However, performance in upcoming events will be taken to account as well.

“It wasn’t a bad performance considering the fact that there were no athletes to really push me. I am pretty sure I will make the cut for the Games when I compete at the World Race Walking Team Championships that will be held in China in May,” the wiry-framed athlete said after the race on a cool Saturday morning.

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“In international competitions, you have competitors who push you and you also are given pacesetters on a motorcycle. Even if you remove just 1 second every lap you could make a big difference in your final time,” he further explained.

This was Kumar’s first competition since moving base from the national camp in Bengaluru to Patiala, to train under services coach Surender Kumar, after a fallout with Russian coach Alexander Artsybashev. Kumar believes the move will bear fruit soon, now that he is able to concentrate solely on his training.

“Coach Surender has been putting his heart and soul in training us. We did not get the kind of attention earlier. He trained us by setting the pace with a bike. Since joining him, I feel more at ease,” said Kumar.

Artsybashev, Kumar’s former coach, had a word of advice for Kumar. “He is really talented but he should not be content with a timing of around 3:55. If you need to compete at the world-level, you have to push to go under the 3:40 mark.”

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At the previous edition of the Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea, the bronze medal was bagged with a timing of 3:50:52 by Wang Zhendong of China. Sandeep Kumar had finished fourth, more than nine minutes behind. To expect to medal this year, the Haryana athlete will have to shave off at least five minutes from his personal best of 3:55:59s.

Focus on 20km

On Sunday the 20km men and women’s event will be held at Vinay marg, the road adjacent to Nehru Park. With the immediate focus being the Commonwealth Games, stiff competition is expected.

Ganapathi, who made his 50km debut on Saturday before pulling out due to muscle cramps, said he would give the 20km event also a shot. Manish Rawat and 2014 Asian Games silver medallist Khushbir Kaur will be the top contenders for the titles.