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Asian Games 2022: Ram Baboo and Manju Rani qualify for the mega event

Despite not meeting the qualifying times for men's and women's event for the World Athletics Championships, both Ram Baboo and Manju Rani did qualify for the postponed Asian Games 2022.

By Abhiruchi Rout | Feb 15, 2023 | 3 Min Read

Ram Baboo and Manju Rani shattered the men’s and women’s 35km national records on their quest for gold medals at the last day of the National Race Walking Championships on February 15, 2023. Manju, 23, of Punjab, became the first Indian woman to clock a sub-3 hour in a 35km race walk event, winning the competition in 2:57.54s, smashing Ramandeep Kaur’s previous national record of 3:00.04s set last year. Whereas, Baboo of Uttar Pradesh broke his own national record of 2:36.34s by over five minutes to 2:31.36s. Despite not meeting the qualifying times of 2:29.40 for men and 2:51.30 for women for the World Athletics Championships, both competitors did qualify for the postponed Asian Games 2022 to be held in China this year.

In the men’s 35km race, Baboo reclaimed the title he had lost to Juned Khan in April in the last edition of the championships. After winning consecutive championships in the National Games in Gandhinagar and the National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru in October of last year, Ram solidified his status as the nation’s leading 35km race walker. The defending champion Juned lowered his personal best by four minutes, but Baboo proved to be a difficult opponent. As a result, Juned had to settle for the silver medal this time timing of 2:36.04s. Chandan Singh improved his personal best by over four minutes to 2:36.55s, but had to compromise for a fourth consecutive bronze medal in the event.

After World Athletics decided to discontinue the 50km event after the Tokyo Olympics, the 35km race walk was only recently introduced in India in 2021. It was Manju’s first victory in five attempts since choosing the 35km event in September 2021. After claiming the National Games in Gandhinagar and the National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru in October in 2022, Uttarakhand’s Payal started as the pre-race favorite. However, she was unable to keep up with Manju and finished the race just a fraction slower than her personal best to take the silver medal with a timing of 3:05.43s. Bandana Patel of Uttar Pradesh clinched the bronze medal with a time of 3:11.35s, which was a personal best.

Asian Games 2022 Selection Procedure

The Asian Games qualification standards might differ for each nation, unlike the Olympics, where qualifying marks are the same for all nations. Athletes must meet the standards set by their respective federations within a predetermined qualifying window in order to be considered for the final squad. Selectors have the discretion to choose an athlete who could earn a medal if any competitor fails to qualify. Based on prior performances and other factors, a certain number of quotas are assigned to each federation. The individual federations can choose their ultimate team to fill their maximum quota.