Rupal runs back into the reckoning

LUCKNOW: Winning back-to-back gold medals in the national championships after staying away from athletics tracks for almost one-and-a-half years due to injury has been a big confidence booster for young sprinter Rupal Chaudhary.

Having already qualified for the Asian Athletics Championship in May in South Africa and the World University Games in July at Berlin in Germany, Meerut’s Chaudhary clocked 52.55 seconds to win the gold in the women’s 400m run during the National Federation Senior Athletics Championship at Kochi on Tuesday.

The performance wasn’t a flash in the pan as she had clinched gold at the 6th Indian Open 400m event at Thiruvananthapuram this March.

“It’s something very inspirational when you restart after a long injury layoff and win back-to-back gold medals in domestic championships. I would like to continue this form in the Asian Championship as well as World University Games,” said Rupal, who easily beat Asian Games medallist Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu at the Thiruvananthapuram event.

“I always plan my every race differently as how to start and when to raise my pace always help me,” said Rupal on Wednesday after finishing her morning schedule at the national camp at Thiruvananthapuram.

“My hands are full with events this year and I am also aiming for a podium finish at the World Athletics Relays at Guangzhou this May and at the Continental Tour too,” she added.

She, however, said her ultimate target is to make a podium finish at the World Championship this September, but she isn’t in a hurry as the qualifying standards are very high (50 seconds) and she was taking small-small steps to achieve the goal.

“I can clock within the 50 seconds time, but that would be risky affair right now as I will slow down after achieving this, so I am not in a hurry and going forward to execute my plans with small steps,” Rupal added.

She also said that despite being in rehab, she was always confident to stage a comeback. “It was a freak accident when I sustained injury while trying to save myself from a cricket ball at Meerut’s stadium, and even when I was in rehab in Mumbai, I didn’t lose hope, but it was almost one-and-a-half years,” said Rupal, adding, “But I am happy that I am back in action and getting good results for my efforts.”

Rupal, who is being trained along with men sprinters at the national camp by Jamaican Jason Dawson, said that there was a lot of improvement in her running while running alongside men athletes.

“Lalit Bhanot Sir put me in training alongside men athletes under Dawson’s guidance and it’s helping me a lot in bettering my timings,” she said.

At the 2022 World U-20 Athletics in Cali, Colombia, Rupal had a silver in 400m relay event before winning an individual bronze in the 400m and those medals brought a big change to her life.

“Those medals also made me realise my real potential. Being the first timer, I was a bit nervous, but I didn’t see other athletes of the world and I just ran for a podium finish in relay,” she said.

Before getting injured, Rupal had qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she couldn’t go there as she fell ill. That was really a big setback to her dream of winning a medal at the Olympics, especially after winning twin medals at Under-20 Worlds in 2022.