Athletics
Priyanka Goswami, Sandeep Kumar and Ram Baboo shine at Austrian racewalking meet
Two Indian racewalkers landed a podium finish in the 35km event.
Racewalkers Sandeep Kumar (left) and Ram Baboo shine in Austria with Silver and Bronze. (Photo credit: Ram Baboo/Instagram)
Indian racewalkers delivered a commendable performance at the Austrian Racewalking Championships held on June 9, 2025, in Innsbruck, with Priyanka Goswami clinching gold in the women's 10km race and Sandeep Kumar and Ram Baboo securing silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s 35km event.
The men’s 35km event featured just four participants, but showcased quality competition. Czech Republic's Jaromír Morávek won the gold with a timing of 2:34:41s.
India’s Sandeep Kumar, aged 39, clocked 2:38:45s to finish second, while 26-year-old Ram Baboo took the third spot with 2:41:47. The fourth finisher, Jerome Caprice from Mauritius, recorded a time of 3:14:05s.
Sandeep Kumar staging a comeback
Sandeep Kumar, the Indian national record holder in the 50km racewalk, has for long been a stalwart in the discipline.
He represented India at the Tokyo Olympics and has multiple national 20km titles. He also secured a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 10,000m racewalk, affirming his ability to adapt across distances.
Over his long career, he has successfully transitioned from the now-discontinued 50 km event to excelling in the 20 km and 35 km formats. His experience was on display again in Austria, where he comfortably held off the field for silver, despite being the oldest participant in the lineup.
Ram Baboo, meanwhile, the current Indian record holder in the 35km racewalk, holds a best of 2:29:56s, set at the Dudinska 50 Meet in Slovakia in 2023.
Rising from humble beginnings as a daily-wage worker, Ram has emerged as one of India’s top endurance athletes. He also won a bronze medal in the mixed racewalking team event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Priyanka Goswami starts season strong
In the 10km women’s race, among two particpants, 29-year-old Priyanka Goswami clocked 47:54 to claim her first win of the season, overcoming both a one-minute penalty and recent illness. “I finished even after a one-minute penalty. it was not easy to finish (to win gold) after the penalty and fever,” she wrote on social media.
Goswami, who holds the national record in the 20km racewalk (1:28:45), has a personal best of 45:47 in 10km, achieved in 2022. Earlier this season, she also placed second in the Athletics Victoria Walking Championships in Melbourne, timing 2:26:54 in a longer-distance event.
