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Neeru Pathak targets Asian Games podium after CWG lessons
Nineteen-year-old sprinter Neeru Pathak, who finished sixth in the 4x400m mixed relay final at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, has set her sights on a podium finish in the 400m at the Asian…
Nineteen-year-old sprinter Neeru Pathak, who finished sixth in the 4x400m mixed relay final at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, has set her sights on a podium finish in the 400m at the Asian Games in Japan in September-October. The athlete from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, said a minor injury had affected her CWG performance but she has recovered and is now focusing on the upcoming event.
Pathak, who won bronze in the 400m at the U20 Asian Athletics Championships this year with a time of 53.23 seconds, has been named in the 4x400m relay squad for the Asian Games. She is training at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bhubaneswar and said she has worked on race tactics, prioritising controlled pacing after learning from an over-ambitious first 200m at the CWG.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Asian Games athletics programme will be a significant step up for a teenager who only broke into the senior national camp this year. India's 4x400m relay teams have historically struggled to match the depth of China and Japan, but the mixed relay event offers a chance to leverage both men's and women's talent. The Athletics Federation of India will finalise the squad after trials, Pathak's individual 400m entry depends on meeting the qualification mark of 53.00 seconds, which she is just 0.23 seconds shy of. Her race strategy shift from raw speed to paced endurance could prove decisive against more experienced rivals in the heats.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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