Ahmedabad: In November 2020, when the cases of Kovid in India were decreasing, Sagar JoshiA national level race walker, was admitted to Army Hospital in Pune with moderate Covid-19.
A constable in the Indian Army, Joshi left no stone unturned even while in the hospital – practicing with walking drills, and doing pushups and yoga for an hour in the ward.
His determination was evident in his first race since Covid in February, when he won a bronze medal in the 50km race at the 8th Open National and 4th International Race Walking Championships in Ranchi. In the 60th National Open Athletics Championships 2021 at the JN Stadium in Warangal, Telangana on Friday, Race Walker from Isanpur, Ahmedabad won the silver medal in the 35km race with a timing of 2:53:43.
Ram Babu of UP won the gold medal with a timing of 2:46:31, while Surinder Singh of Punjab won the bronze with a timing of 2:54:22.
Speaking to Times of India after winning the medal, Joshi said, “My target was to win gold, but I had participated in an interservice event in Bhubaneswar fifteen days back in the 50km race. The conditions there were very harsh. The humidity was around 98% and the temperature was 34 °C. I still managed to participate here and win the silver medal. I am happy with my performance.” The 34-year-old said that if his body was in better shape, he would have given a tough fight to Babu. “I started the race well. The middle side was up and down and I second and that first. I slowed down and fell back in the last 5km. Otherwise, my timing would have been less than 2:50,” he said.
He has regretted not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. “I missed the Tokyo Olympics because I was 33 points behind the automatic qualification criterion. After that, I could not attend international events as India was hit by a severe second wave of COVID-19 which resulted in the travel ban on Indians. Barring the 50km walk from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Joshi’s focus is on the 35km event. “Next year, we have the World Race Walking Championships in Russia and I want to qualify and win a medal for the country. My big goal is to qualify for the Paris Olympics.”
A constable in the Indian Army, Joshi left no stone unturned even while in the hospital – practicing with walking drills, and doing pushups and yoga for an hour in the ward.
His determination was evident in his first race since Covid in February, when he won a bronze medal in the 50km race at the 8th Open National and 4th International Race Walking Championships in Ranchi. In the 60th National Open Athletics Championships 2021 at the JN Stadium in Warangal, Telangana on Friday, Race Walker from Isanpur, Ahmedabad won the silver medal in the 35km race with a timing of 2:53:43.
Ram Babu of UP won the gold medal with a timing of 2:46:31, while Surinder Singh of Punjab won the bronze with a timing of 2:54:22.
Speaking to Times of India after winning the medal, Joshi said, “My target was to win gold, but I had participated in an interservice event in Bhubaneswar fifteen days back in the 50km race. The conditions there were very harsh. The humidity was around 98% and the temperature was 34 °C. I still managed to participate here and win the silver medal. I am happy with my performance.” The 34-year-old said that if his body was in better shape, he would have given a tough fight to Babu. “I started the race well. The middle side was up and down and I second and that first. I slowed down and fell back in the last 5km. Otherwise, my timing would have been less than 2:50,” he said.
He has regretted not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. “I missed the Tokyo Olympics because I was 33 points behind the automatic qualification criterion. After that, I could not attend international events as India was hit by a severe second wave of COVID-19 which resulted in the travel ban on Indians. Barring the 50km walk from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Joshi’s focus is on the 35km event. “Next year, we have the World Race Walking Championships in Russia and I want to qualify and win a medal for the country. My big goal is to qualify for the Paris Olympics.”
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