India’s race walkers had a challenging outing at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, as Vikash Singh and Paramjeet Singh finished far from the podium in the men’s 20km race walk. The duo placed 30th and 37th respectively, while national record-holder Akshdeep Singh had to pull out after the 6km mark, resulting in a disappointing performance for India in this event.

Vikash Singh clocked a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes, and 36 seconds, while Paramjeet Singh finished in 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 48 seconds. Both athletes struggled to keep up with the leading pack, failing to match their personal bests on the Olympic stage.

The race was dominated by Brian Daniel Pintado of Ecuador, who clinched the gold medal with a time of 1:18:55. He was followed closely by Caio Bonfim of Brazil, who secured the silver medal with a time of 1:19:09. The bronze medal went to reigning world champion Alvaro Martin of Spain, who finished just two seconds behind Bonfim with a time of 1:19:11. Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Massimo Stano of Italy narrowly missed the podium, coming in fourth with a time of 1:19:12.

The Indian contingent had entered the event with hopes of putting up a strong performance, especially with Akshdeep Singh, who holds the national record in the 20km race walk. However, Akshdeep’s early exit from the race due to undisclosed reasons dashed any chances of a competitive finish for India.

This performance highlights the challenges faced by the Indian race walkers on the global stage, and it underscores the need for further development and support for athletes in this discipline. As the Olympics continue, the Indian athletics team will be looking to regroup and focus on upcoming events to bring home medals.