“I want to give my best” - Quartermiler Kiran Pahal hopeful of aiming her qualification time of 50.92 seconds
Indian quarter-miler Kiran Pahal is hopeful of recreating her qualification time of 50.92 seconds at her debut Olympics in Paris in the women’s 400m events. She is scheduled to take the field on Monday, August 5. If she qualifies in the first round, she will advance to the knockouts. The semi-final and finals are scheduled on August 7 and August 9, respectively.
Notably, Pahal clocked 50.92s in 400m race in the semi-finals at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships at Panchkula, Haryana in June to qualify for Summer Games in Paris. The qualification mark was set at 50.95 seconds.
“I am feeling very happy because it is my first Olympics. My match is on the 5th, and I will be participating in the 400m. If I qualify for the first round, I will run in the semi-final on the 7th; if I make it through that, I’ll reach the finals on the 9th. I am hopeful and aiming to repeat my qualifying time of 50.92s. I want to give my best,” Kiran Pahal told ANI.
“I want to thank the government for this support” - Kiran Pahal
Kiran Pahal thanked the Indian government for supplying 40 air conditioning units to the Athletes Village in Paris so that they could have a comfortable stay. The AC units were sent to the Games village after discussions with the Indian Olympic Association and the French Embassy.
“Earlier, we were only provided fans, but now the Government has provided us with air conditioners. I never had problems, but some athletes are used to AC. I want to thank the Government for this support,” she added.
After her heroic act in the Panchkula meet, Kiran, hailing from Haryana, became the second-fastest Indian runner in the women’s 400m, just behind Hima Das, who still holds the national record of 50.79 seconds achieved at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta.
Furthermore, Kiran, with her qualification timing, also surpassed Hima Das’ previous Inter-State Athletics Meet timing of 51.13 seconds set in June 2021. Interestingly, she returned to the field after an eight-month gap. This was also the first time Kiran breached the 51-second mark.