Race walker Aarti opens India's account at World U-20 Athletics Championships

Aarti celebrates her medal-winning feat. Photo: AFI

Lima: Aarti won a bronze in women's 10000m race walk event with national U-20 record to open India's medal account in the World U-20 Athletics Championships here on Friday.

The 17-year-old Aarti clocked 44 minutes, 39.39 seconds to finish third in the gruelling event on the penultimate day of the competitions.

Aarti broke her own earlier national record of 47:21.04, which she had clocked in March while winning gold at the National Federation Cup U-20 Championships in Lucknow.

Chinese race walkers Zhuoma Baima (43:26.60) and Meiling Chen (44:30.67) won the gold and silver respectively.

In the men's 4x400m relay heats, the Indian quartet of Rihan Chaudhary, Ankul, Abiram Pramod and Jay Kumar shattered the national U-20 record, clocking 3 minute 08.10 second, to finish second in heat 3 and qualify for the final.

In the women's 4x400m relay heats, the Indian quartet of Rujula Amol Bhonsle, Neole Anna Cornelio, Abinaya Rajarajan and Sudheeksha Vadluri also rewrote the national U-20 record, clocking 45.31 seconds but failed to make it to the final by a whisker after finishing ninth overall.

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Onmanorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.