Racewalker Akshdeep eyes medal on his World Athletics C'ships debut in Budapest

NEW DELHI: Racewalker Akshdeep Singh, who won gold at the Asian Race Walking Championships, aspires to make a strong impression once again by securing a medal on his debut at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, starting from August 19.

Akshdeep will be one of three Indian walkers alongside Vikash Singh and Paramjeet Singh in action during the men's 20km Race Walk Final.

The 23-year-old Singh, who became the first Indian to qualify for the athletics events at Paris 2024 by meeting the standard qualifying time of 1:20:00 in his national record-setting walk, laid out his goals for the world championship while also looking ahead to future competitions.

"First, our target was to qualify, and once we achieved that, we started preparing for the World Championships. This is my first world-level competition, but I am fully prepared. I want to compete for a medal so that I improve and perform well on my path to events like the Asian Games, and Olympics along with improving the national record," Akshdeep told JioCinema, where the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, will be live-streamed.

The national record-holder race walker gave everyone a peek into how he became so proficient in the discipline while explaining how support from coaches and authorities have aided his success.

"Initially, I was training on my own. The chief coach at SAI allowed me to train with the national team. I was not a part of the team before that. I trained with coach Tatiana ma'am and received great support from the federation," he said.

"When you start receiving support from everywhere, achieving any target becomes easier. I think due to these factors, I was less stressed, focused on my training, and everything felt easier," he added.

India will be represented by 28 athletes at the marquee event with the hopes of the nation pinning on Olympic gold-medallist Neeraj Chopra as his success has become a benchmark for most Indian athletes.

"Neeraj sir’s medal is the first in athletics. When we walk alongside him, we see that these things become possible," Singh concluded.