Race Walking Chaos: Goof-Up Hits Indian Open Championship

An organizational error marred the women’s 35km race walk during the Indian Open Race Walking Competition, resulting in participants finishing early. Meanwhile, Ram Baboo claimed men's 35km gold. The event, tainted by prior controversies, saw further technical glitches impacting results and world ranking points for the athletes involved.

An organizational blunder overshadowed the women's 35km race walk at the Indian Open Race Walking Competition, as participants unwittingly crossed the finish line without completing their full course. Despite the confusion, national record holder Ram Baboo clinched the men's 35km title.

The women's results were delayed for hours due to technical hold-ups, eventually revealing that only 34km had been recorded instead of the required 35km. An official cited potential miscommunication among race officials as the source of the error.

This mishap tarnished the competitors' chances of earning world ranking points. Payal of Railways topped the incomplete event, while Manju Rani and Ramandeep Kaur followed. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu's Servin Sebastian excelled in the men's 20km race walk, setting his sights on further championships.

(With inputs from agencies.)