4 min readMumbaiAug 30, 2022 08:27 PM IST
First published on: Aug 29, 2022 at 09:50 PM IST
All Priyanka Goswami wants to do these days is to ask all those she meets for the first time a very “simple” question: “What do you know about race walking?”
After winning a historic silver in the 10,000m racewalking event at the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 26-year-old is on a quest to change people’s perception of the sport. Or form one.
Being the first Indian woman to win a medal in race walk at the Commonwealth Games, she has taken the onus upon herself to spread awareness about the sport.
“After winning a medal, we have been going to felicitations organised for us. The first thing I do is ask a very simple question: who knows about race walking?” she told the Indian Express on the sidelines of an event to mark HSBC bank partnering with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to promote women athletes.
And that’s exactly what she did at the event on Monday. “I saw just four or five people raised their hands, so it’s an improvement,” she said with a laugh.
After winning a historic silver in the 10,000m racewalking event at the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 26-year-old is on a quest to change people’s perception of the sport. Or form one. (PTI)
So what’s the normal response she gets to the question?
“Normally people don’t know anything about the sport and that’s what makes me a little angry because we have won medals in the sport.
“Mostly people wonder why we walk weirdly. That’s the most common question I get. I have to explain to them that the rules of the sport say that we can’t bend our knees and have to have one foot on the ground at all times. I have to also tell them that while you run on your toes, in race walking, you have to land on your heel. People may dismiss racewalking as just walking, but it’s actually a very technical sport,” she says.
When she took up the sport in 2011 as an alternative to gymnastics and athletics, Priyanka had no idea how technical the sport would be. She too thought it was just about walking fast.
“I still don’t think my technique is even near perfection. It’s one event when you can’t rest on your laurels. There are judges constantly keeping an eye on you. My timing in Birmingham was 43 minutes (43:38.83) for the 10km meaning you have to maintain that technique and stride for so long. It’s very challenging,” she said.
Birmingham was also the first time since 2014 she competed on a track since her pet event, the 20km race-walk of which she’s a national record holder, wasn’t part of the Birmingham CWG. Race walking is generally a road race.
With an eye on the Asian Games which are postponed to next year and even the 2024 Paris Olympics, she has already begun training in Bengaluru.
So what’s her daily training routine like?
“In the morning for three hours we have a heavy race walk workout which consists of either climbs, speed workout or endurance walks. In the evening we spend around two hours just focusing on technique.
Sometimes we also do the easy stuff like running or swimming in the evening,” she says in all sincerity, despite casually mentioning that running and swimming are easier than race walking.
But as she says, it’s all about “hyping up your sport”.
Being the first Indian woman to win a medal in race walk at the Commonwealth Games, she has taken the onus upon herself to spread awareness about the sport. (Reuters) 
After winning a historic silver in the 10,000m racewalking event at the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 26-year-old is on a quest to change people’s perception of the sport. Or form one. (PTI)
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