Unheralded Kiran secures Olympic slot in women's 400m

Unheralded Haryana athlete Kiran Pahal surprised herself by qualifying for the Paris Olympics in the women's 400m event. She clocked a personal best time of 50.92 seconds on the opening day of the National Inter-State Championships, surpassing the automatic Olympics qualification mark of 50.95 seconds.

Kiran easily won her semi-final heat, finishing ahead of Devy Aniba Zala of Gujarat and Kerala's Sneha K. She had earlier clocked 52.33 seconds in the preliminary round heats, an improvement from her previous personal best of 51.84 seconds in 2022.

Speaking about her qualification, Kiran expressed her surprise and joy, emphasizing that she never thought she would qualify for the Olympics.

Despite pressure in the preliminary heats after a year-long break from racing, she was confident of delivering an even better performance in the finals. Kiran, who hails from Ganaur village in Sonepat district of Haryana, has overcome significant challenges, including financial difficulties and the loss of her father in 2022, to achieve her sporting dreams.

In other events, Ankita won the women's 5000m final race in 16 minutes 10.31 seconds, while Gulveer Singh secured gold in the men's 5000m event, falling short of his own national record. Manju Bala also clinched gold in the women's hammer throw, achieving a distance of 63.66m.