World Athletics Championships 2023: Parul Chaudhary breaks national record; breaches Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying standards

India’s Parul Chaudhary finished 11th in the women’s 3000m steeplechase finals at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday but her mark was enough to set a new Indian national record and breach the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifying standards for the event.

Parul Chaudhary, who had clocked a personal best of 9:24.29 in the heats at Budapest 23, improved her timing to 9:15.31 in the final. Lalita Babar held the previous record with a timing of 9:19.76, achieved at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Indian runner’s mark was also better than the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifying standards for the women’s steeplechase event, set at 9:23.00.

Achieving the entry standard is just one part of the Olympic qualification process. National Olympic Committees have the final say as to whether an athlete will be selected to the NOC team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi, the 2018 Asian Games champion, won the 15-woman 3000m steeplechase final with a new world-leading time of 8:54.29. Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech, the 2019 world champion, had to settle for the silver with a season’s best run of 8:58.98. Her compatriot Faith Cherotich, a former U20 world champion, took the bronze, clocking a new personal best of 9:00.69.

Indian 4x400m relay team finishes fifth

Meanwhile, the Indian men’s 4x400m relay team of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh finished fifth with an impressive time of 2:59.92.

The same quartet had clocked a new Asian and national record of 2.59.05s to qualify for the finals.

Team USA, with a new world-leading time of 2:57.31, won the gold medal. France, with a new national record of 2:58.45, and Great Britain, with 2:58.71, completed the podium.

India won only one medal at the World Athletics Championships 2023, a gold by Neeraj Chopra in the men’s javelin throw, earlier in the day.