Suraj Panwar won the silver medal in the 5000m race walking event
Suraj Panwar opened India’s account in athletics, winning the first medal at the third Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. India’s medal tally now stands at 11, with 3 gold and 8 silver medals.
He achieved the feat in the 5,000 m race walking event. Across two periods in the event, his times of 20:35:87 and 20:23:30 were enough to surpass all his fellow runners but Ecuador’s Oscar Patin.
Suraj finished the first stage with the second position with a timing of 20:35:87. In the second period as well, the Indian finished in the second position. Patin was at the top in this round. However, China’s Xin Wang, who led the second round, got disqualified due to a lane infringement incident. As a result, Suraj got promoted to the top. Although finishing first was not enough to win gold, as the sum of timings over the two periods is used to calculate the winner.
His overall timing of 40:59:17 (his personal best) was 8 minutes short of Oscar Patin’s 40:51:86. Jan Moreu of Puerto Rico won the bronze.
“My next step is to train for the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and win a medal there as well. My message for the youth of India is to strive hard and win a medal for the country,” Suraj told IAAF following the win.
Suraj Panwar- A Rising Athletic Star
Suraj Panwar was born on 2 April 2001. The 17-year-old plies his trade mostly in the field of 5,000m and 10,000 race walking events. The youngster rose to prominence earlier this year when he won silver at the 2018 Bangkok Youth Olympic Games in the 10,000m race walk. He won the grey medal with a timing of 47:40:61. Although that wasn’t his best performance.
His personal best of 42:37:84 came in April this year, at the Coimbatore Indian U20 Championships.
Apart from these, he also competes in 10km and 20km race walking events as well. The youngster hails from Dehradun, capital of Uttarakhand and is coached by Anoop Bisht.
#TeamIndia at the @youtholympics #BuenosAires2018
Suraj Panwar finished 1st in Men's 5000m Race Walk Stage 2 event, clocking 20.35.87! After Final Placing, finishes 2nd overall, winning India its first Medal in #Athletics a Silver! ??#Kudos Suraj @afiindia #IAmTeamIndia ?? pic.twitter.com/lXR7qSRSfN— Team India (@ioaindia) October 15, 2018
