Priyanka Goswami Qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympics, Makes Indian Race Walking History

Priyanka Goswami has secured her spot in the Women’s 20km Race Walking Final at the Paris Olympics 2024. This achievement marks a significant milestone as she is the first Indian woman to win a medal in race walking. Goswami won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and has been a prominent figure in race walking for several years.

Goswami, 28, qualified for the Paris Games by meeting the required time at the Indian Open National Race Walking competition in Ranchi on February 14, 2023. She also competed in the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished 17th in the 20km race walking event.

Born on March 10, 1996, in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Goswami works with the Indian Railways. She began her athletic career in 2011 and gained recognition in 2017 when she won the Indian Race Walking Championships in Delhi with a time of 1:37:58. Before focusing on race walking, she practiced gymnastics in school. Her interest in athletics was initially sparked by the prize bags given to winners.

In 2020, Goswami finished second at the Indian Race Walking Championships with a time of 1:31:36. She set a national record with a time of 1:28:45 at the 8th National and International Race Walking Championships in February 2021, which qualified her for the Tokyo Olympics.

At the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China, Goswami finished fifth with a time of 1:43:07 in the 20km race. Despite this slower performance, she prepared for the Olympic qualifiers and achieved her Paris qualification by clocking 1:28:50 in February 2023.

Goswami trained with coach Brent Vallance in Canberra, Australia, and competed with top racewalkers from around the world. On March 3, 2024, she set a new personal best at the Chinese Race Walking Grand Prix in Taicang, finishing seventh with a time of 1:29:48.

Staff Reporter.