Ram Baboo: Competing in long distance events has been beneficial in 20km race walk

India’s Ram Baboo would have preferred a long distance race walk event at the Olympics but conceded that he is reaping the benefit of previously participating in 35km competitions having moved down to 20km for this year’s Paris Games.

Baboo became the seventh Indian male to breach the 20km race walking Paris Olympics qualification time (1:20:10s) earlier this month.

The 25-year-old used to compete in the 20km event in 2019. He then moved to the 50km race walk but shifted to 35km event after World Athletics removed that category from its programme.

With not many options left, Baboo grudgingly returned to the 20km event.

“I didn’t want to come down to 20km, wanted to remain stable in 35k but the race walk curriculum has had a lot of changes,” Baboo told PTI in an interview.

The 50km distance was dropped from the Olympics while the mixed team 35km, the event in which Baboo won a bronze at the Asian Games last year along with Manju Rani, will also not feature at the Paris Games.

Instead, a new race walking format has been introduced — the mixed team relay in the marathon distance.

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“First World Athletics changed it from 50km to 35km and now it has become 35km mixed relay making it a team event,” explained Baboo, who is exclusively managed by IOS sports.

“In team events, it becomes tough because the result depends on your team. In 20k it is simple, if you are fit you will do well.” “Plus 25 teams will qualify for the relay event but 20km is an individual event and three athletes per country can compete.” The Uttar Pradesh athlete feels his training for 35k event has helped increased his endurance level.

“The 20km race goes faster as compared to 35k. Having shifted from 35km to 20km, my 35km training has helped,” Baboo said.

“While preparing for 35k, I had to do a lot of endurance training. Endurance plus speed. In 20k, it becomes shorter and we have to do speed plus short endurance.” Currently, two Indian race walkers have a better timing than Baboo, who clocked his personal best time of 1:20:00s earlier this month.

He hopes he can better his time and make the cut for Paris as a country can send only three athletes in an individual track and field event.

It will be up to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to determine who makes the cut for the Paris Games.

The next event for Baboo is the World Athletics Team Race Walking Championships on April 21 in Antalya, Türkiye.

It will be an important race with just two months to go until the qualification and ranking period, between December 31, 2022 and June 30, 2024, concludes.

“The hope is that the best three there will have better chances for Paris. So I will look to improve my timings,” Baboo said.

“We hope to get a medal there because our 20km race walkers are fit. So we hope we can make a podium finish there,” he added.