Parul Chaudhary Finishes 8th In 3000m Steeplechase Heat Race, Fails To Qualify For Final Round

The national record holder in women's 3000m steeplechase Parul Chaudhary failed to qualify for the final round after finishing eighth in the heat race to end her campaign in the Paris Olympics on Sunday. The 29-year-old Parul, who underwent high-altitude training in the USA for a few months in the lead-up to the Games, ran the distance at 9 minutes 23.39 seconds, which was her season's best but well below her national mark of 9:15.31, clocked in the 2023 Budapest World Championships. The top-five each from the three heat races qualify for the final.

The defending Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda won the heat number one with 9:10.51 while Faith Cherotich (9:10.57) of Kenya and Gesa Felicitas Krause (9:10.68) from Germany were second and third respectively.

This brought to an end to Parul's campaign who had also failed to qualify for the women's 5000m race along with Ankita Dhyani.

Parul had made direct qualification for the 3000m steeplechase - her pet event - after breaching the entry standard of 9:23.00.

Lalita Babar was the lone Indian woman 3000m steeplechaser to qualify for the final round in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she ultimately finished 10th.

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