How did Priyanka Goswami perform at Tokyo Olympics? A detailed look at the Indian athlete's performance at the previous Olympic Games

Priyanka Goswami is an athlete specializing in the 20km race walk. She represented India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the same event and finished 17th with a time of 1:32:36 at the Sapporo Odori Park.

The 28-year-old holds the national record of 1:28:45, which she achieved at the national race walking championships in February 2021. Notably, this achievement helped her seal a spot for Tokyo 2020.

Priyanka led the initial stages of the race battling the intense heat at the park. She successfully held fourth place at the 4km mark, moved up to third by 6 km, and then took the lead by 8 km. Unfortunately, Goswami was later given a warning for breaking stride.

However, she managed to maintain her position at the halfway mark. She then struggled at the 14km mark, finishing 15th, 37 seconds behind the leaders of the race. In addition, she crossed the finish line over three minutes after the race winner. Notably, Antonella Palmisano of Italy won the gold medal with a time of 1:29.12.

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A deeper look at Priyanka Goswami's career

Priyanka, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, has received several accolades throughout her career. Before switching her professional sports career to race walking, she practised gymnastics at the school level. In 2017, Priyanka clinched the Indian Race Walking championship.

The talented athlete, who currently works as an OS for Indian Railways, had secured a silver medal in the 10,000m walk at the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a timing of 43:38.82. With this, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in a race walking event.

Additionally, Priyanka Goswami booked her Paris Olympics 2024 berth after qualifying at the Indian Open National Race Walking competition held in Ranchi in February 2023.

However, the Paris Olympics saw her finish 41st out of 45 participants in the women’s 20km race walk with time of 1:39:55.