World Athletics Championships: Parul Chaudhary finishes 11th in 3000m steeplechase, sets new national record

Parul Chaudhary achieved an 11th-place finish in the women's 3000m steeplechase final at the World Championships in Budapest. Notably, she established a new national record with an impressive time of 9:15.31. She also secured her qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Parul Chaudhary from Meerut came 11th in the women's 3000m steeplechase final at the World Championships in Budapest. She, however, set a new national record with a timing of 9.15.31. In the process, she also comfortably sealed her qualification for the Paris Olympics.

In a fiercely competitive field, Parul ran shoulder to shoulder with renowned distance runners like Faith Cherotich, Beatrice Chepkoech, and Jackline Chepkoech from Kenya, as well as Sembo Almayew, Zerfe Wondemagegn, and Lomi Muleta from Ethiopia, and Peruth Chemutai from Uganda. However, it was Winfred Mutile Yavi, a Kenyan who migrated to Bahrain, who won the 3000m steeplechase and claimed the biggest title of her career. She ran a stunning 8:54.29 and beat world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech to take the gold medal.

Parul didn't place undue pressure on herself to outperform the rest of the field, which allowed her to maintain a laser-focused goal for the race: achieving a personal best and securing Olympic qualification. 

Her entry in the finals marked a historic moment as she became the second Indian female athlete to secure a place in the final round of a track event at the World Athletics Championships. She accomplished this by finishing fifth in her 3000m steeplechase heat. Prior to Parul, Lalita Babar had etched her name in the records as the first Indian woman to reach the final in a 3000m steeplechase race. 

Scott Simmons, Parul's coach, attributed her remarkable progress in the last two years to high-altitude training in Colorado, which significantly enhanced her aerobic strength, as reported by the Times of India. Earlier in May, Parul had achieved a personal best timing of 9:29.51 in the United States of America. 

On Track

Parul Chaudhary's journey into athletics began on her father's recommendation, a farmer from the village of Iklauta near Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh. Her ascent in the sport was gradual rather than rapid. Although she joined the national camp in 2016, it wasn't until three more years had passed that, at the age of 24, she secured her first national title in the 5000m in 2019.

In recent times, Parul has greatly benefited from the coaching program implemented by American coach Nick Simmons over the past couple of years. This year, she not only set a new national record in the 5000m but also claimed gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the Asian Championships.