Rio Olympics: Lalita Babar Finishes Commendable 10th in Women's Steeplechase Final

Lalita Babar put in another solid performance to finish in an impressive 10th place in the women's steeplechase final at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Monday.

The Indian athlete had broken the national record with a time of 9:19.76 in the qualification round to reach the final. She became the first Indian to qualify for the final of a track event at the Olympics in 32 years.

Lalita, however, failed to replicate her showing in the qualification that saw her obliterate the previous national record, finishing with a time of 9:22.74 in the final.

The Indian started off well keeping pace with a second pack on the track but she started losing ground to her competitors as the race progressed.

She still managed to run at a good pace that kept her in contention of a top 10 finish.

Meanwhile, Ruth Jebet of Bahrain took the gold medal with a time of 8:59.75 - just shy of the of the World and Olympic record. She was head and shoulders above the rest of the athletes and led from start to finish.

Kenya's Hyvin Jepkemoi won the silver with a time of 9:07.12 while American Emma Coburn, who clocked 9:07.63, took home the bronze.

Lalita's performance was the silver lining for India as other competitors from the country, participating in track and field events, failed in their quest to reach the next round.

Srabani Nanda clocked 23.58 seconds in the women's 200m Round 1, Heat 5 to finish in a dismal 55th place overall in the qualification.

Renjith Maheswary didn't fare much better in the men's triple jump qualification round after finishing 30th with a best attempt of 16.13 metres.