All posts tagged: Gopi Thonakal

Three Indian Elite men achieve Asian Games qualifying mark

Three Indian Elite men achieve Asian Games qualifying mark

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Three Indian elite marathoners achieved the qualifying standard for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 at the 11th edition of the Cognizant New Delhi Marathon on Sunday. Mumbai’s Kartik Jayraj Karkera led the charge, winning the men’s marathon in 2:13:10, comfortably inside the Athletics Federation of India’s qualifying mark of 2:15:04 for the continental event in Japan later this year. Close behind him were Gopi Thonakal (2:13:12) and Man Singh (2:13:15), as the trio crossed the finish line within seconds of each other in a tightly contested race. The sub-2:15 performances ensured that all three runners met the Asian Games qualification standard, making the New Delhi Marathon a crucial platform for India’s elite distance runners ahead of September’s Games. Women fall short of qualifying standard In the women’s marathon, Thakor Nirmaben Bharatjee claimed victory in 2:41:15. However, the time was outside the women’s qualifying mark of 2:31:52 for the Asian Games. Bhagirathi (2:43:28) and Ashwini Madan Jadhav (2:56:59) completed the podium. Certified by the Athletics Federation of India as the National Marathon, the New Delhi …

Gopi Thonakal, Ashwini Jadhav win Apollo Tyres New Delhi Marathon men’s, women’s titles

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In a thrilling finish to the tape, Army Sports Institute’s Gopi Thonakal pipped his teammate Srinu Bugatha to win the Apollo Tyres New Delhi Marathon crown in New Delhi on Sunday. Gopi, who had set his eyes on the National Record (2:12) set by Shivnath Singh in 1978, finished in 2:14:40 to clinch the gold medal. It was just short of his own personal best (2:13:39) that he had achieved in 2022. The pace set by Gopi helped first runner-up Srinu Bugatha (2:14:41) better his own mark of 2:14:59. Akshay Saini clinched the bronze medal in 2:15:27, making the National Marathon one of the fastest races by Elite Male in recent times. Ashwini Jadhav wiped off four minutes from her personal best (2:56:42) on her way to the Marathon gold medal among Elite Women. She clocked an impressive 2:52:25. Nirmaben Thakor (2:55:47) and Divyanka Chaudhary (2:57.06) “The marathon was very competitive in both the male and female categories. The male runners tried their best to achieve the Paris Olympics but it was just beyond their …

‘Tough for Indians to qualify for Paris Olympics’- Marathon runner Gopi T

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Indian elite marathon runner Gopi Thonakal thinks that it would be difficult for the Indians to make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics as the qualifying time for the Marathon is almost beyond their reach. The qualifying time for Marathon at Paris Olympics is 2:08:10 which is beyond the 46-year-old national record. “This qualifying timing (of the Paris Olympics) is very tough for Indian marathon runners. We are hoping to get through (the Olympics) via rankings where an average is calculated from five competitions over around two years,” Gopi told PTI ahead of the New Delhi Marathon, an Olympic qualifying event. “I am hoping to run my personal best here in Delhi. I am perfectly fit now though I had less time for training after the Mumbai Marathon (in January),” he added further. The Paris Olympics marathon qualifying window is from November 6, 2022, to May 5, 2024, and 80 athletes will compete in the 42.195km event. But there is no Indian listed so far in the World Athletics’ Road to Paris chart. Former Asian …

Why qualifying for the Paris Olympics has got a lot tougher for India’s marathon runners | Sport-others News

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When India’s top runner Gopi Thonakal qualified for the marathon at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the qualification timing was 2 hours and 19 minutes. He ran a fabulous race at the 2016 Mumbai Marathon, clocking 2:16:15 to make the cut. While he wants to use the Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday to qualify for the Paris Olympics later this year, it will be a much tougher task. In just eight years, the qualification standard for direct qualification for the Olympic marathon has gone down by 11 minutes to 2:08, making it practically impossible for Indians to qualify directly with their current timings. To put it in perspective, the Indian men’s marathon record is 2:12, set by Shivnath Singh in 1978 in Jalandhar. Gopi’s best timing is 2:13:39 which he set in Seoul in 2022. With direct qualification seemingly not an option, there’s still hope for Gopi and other top Indian runners who will look to qualify for the Summer Games via the average route. “Runners who don’t qualify automatically have the option to average …