Paris Olympics 2024: Nervous Vikash Singh returns wiser

Paris Olympics 2024: Delhi’s international race walker Vikash Singh, who finished as the best Indian performer in the 20-kilometre race at the Olympics, said he was thrilled to perform in Paris. 

“It was a terrific atmosphere. I could feel the adrenaline rush as I was standing on the same platform as the world’s best racewalkers. It took some time for me to control my nerves,” said Singh. 

The men’s 20km race walk was held on August 1. It was the first event of the track and field competition at the Paris Olympic Games. 

“The practice had gone well. There was no complaint,” added Singh. 

Singh’s plan was to stay with the leading bunch of athletes for the opening 15km of the 20km race. But he could only stay with the leading group for roughly 10km and gradually drifted away to finish at 30th place. The 28-year-old clocked 1:22:36.

Brian Pintado of Ecuador won gold in the event with a time of 1:18:55. 

Singh said he tried his level best to stay with the leading group. 

“But sometimes the pace was unsteady. Short surges by the leading athletes had its impact on me. I wasn’t prepared to go fast early in the race,” the Delhi race walker explained. 

He also slowed down in the last 5km whereas other athletes were able to push hard in the closing stages of the competition. 

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Neeraj takes silver, Pakistan’s Nadeem snares gold

“I’ve to learn to improve my pace for the last 5km to do better at the world stage,” Singh added. 

The experience of racing at the Olympic Games, Singh said, will enable him to prepare better for next year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. 

“I have to focus on both speed as well as technique to overall improve my performance at the global level,” he added.