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It’s pretty warm yet pleasant at this time of the year at Oregon State. The weather will, however, play an important role in the overall performance of the competitors when they line up for the first medal event of the 2022 World Athletics Championships here on Friday.
India's Sandeep Kumar Punia will compete in the men’s 20km race walk. Both Priyanka Goswami and Sandeep are national record holders in their respective groups.
The women’s 20km race walk final will start at mid-day local time followed by the men’s competition.
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The Indian athletics team, which has been camping for two weeks in Chula Vista, believe they have had enough time to acclimatize to the local weather conditions and Priyanka says she should be able to tackle the weather conditions.
“It will be okay. Not too taxing,” she told Sportskeeda.
She added:
“The weather will be somewhat similar to Indian conditions but not as humid as back home.”
The Indian team have also had good exposure in the buildup to the Eugene World Athletics Championships to sharpen their competitive skills. Hence, expectations are certainly more this time.
India's Russian race walk coach not granted visa over unapproved COVID-19 vaccine
However, the absence of Russian coach Tatiana Sibileva overseeing the training of the Indian race walkers will certainly hurt the team.
“The foreign coach hasn’t got the visa,” Priyanka said.
The Russian coach, it has been learnt, hasn’t got the COVID-19 vaccine shot approved by World Athletics and the US government to be eligible to enter the USA.
Meanwhile, the Australian race walkers were seen practicing in the middle of the day. Australian promising race walker Declan Tingay was of the opinion that the 20km event should have been conducted early in the morning and not post lunch.
He told Sportskeeda:
“It will be tough for all the athletes. I don’t expect fast time on Friday.”
Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi, who won the race walk gold at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, is all set to defend his title at Eugene.
Compatriot Koki Ikeda, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, has the fastest season’s best of 1:18:53 in April.
The competition will be held on a one-kilometre looped course starting and finishing near the Autzen Stadium near Hayward Field.
