Commonwealth Games 2022 athletics: Olympian Sandeep Kumar wins 10,000m race walk bronze medal

India’s two-time Olympian Sandeep Kumar recorded a new personal best timing of 38:49.21 to win the men’s 10,000m race walk bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.

The 36-year-old veteran, who represented India at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, came into Birmingham 2022 with a personal best of 46:55.97, registered way back in 2009, and bettered it by more than eight minutes at the Alexander Stadium.

"I had a good start and it was a very nice competition," Sandeep Kumar said. "Since the Olympics last year [where he finished 40th in the men's 20km race walk] I have been thinking about a medal in this competition."

Canada’s Evan Dunfee, the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist in the 50km race walk, won the gold medal with a Games record of 38:36.37. Australia’s Declan Tingay won silver, clocking 38:42.33.

Amit Khatri, the other Indian in the fray in the race, finished ninth in a 10-man field with 43:04.97.

Sandeep Kumar, who holds both India’s 20km and 50km race walk national records, was in the leading pack from the start and stayed among the top three throughout the race.

This was India’s second race walk medal at Commonwealth Games 2022. Priyanka Goswami won the women’s 10,000m race walk silver medal with a national record-breaking effort on Saturday.

India finish sixth in men's 4x400m

The Indian men's 4x400m relay team of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Noah Nirmal Tom, Mohammed Ajmal and Amoj Jacob, meanwhile, finished sixth among eight teams in the finals.

The Indian quartet’s time of 3:05.51s, however, was vastly better than the 3:06.97s they logged in the heats.

Trinidad and Tobago won the gold with a time of 3:01.29, beating out silver medallists Botswana (3:01.85) and bronze medal winners Kenya (3:02.41).