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

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.