Parul will face strong competition in Japan, particularly from athletes representing Japan and Bahrain, but her target remains the same after her success at the last Asian Games
Published: September 5, 2026, 2:51 PM IST
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File photo of Parul Chaudhary(Credits: IANS)
Parul Chaudhary will have little time to recover between races at the Asian Games in Japan, but the Indian middle and long-distance runner is not letting the demanding schedule worry her.
The 31-year-old will compete in the 1500m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase, meaning she could be on the track on three successive daysIt is a bigger workload than the one she handled in Hangzhou, where she won gold in both the 5000m and steeplechase.
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Chaudhary is confident that the training she has done at the SAI Centre of Excellence will help her manage the challenge.
“It is difficult (competing in three events)But I am training accordinglyI have to compete for three days in a row,” she told PTI in an interview facilitated by SAI.
“So, I will have to train accordinglyBut I don’t take pressure at all, as I just think about giving my bestI am sure a medal will follow,”
The addition of the 1500m also gives Chaudhary another opportunity to compete in an event where she has shown good formShe won the race at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, clocking 4:20.45.
She will face strong competition in Japan, particularly from athletes representing Japan and Bahrain, but her target remains the same after her success at the last Asian Games.
“There will be good and tough competitionThere are strong athletes from across Asia, particularly from Japan and BahrainBut I am confident of doing wellI had won gold medals last time and I want to bring those medals back to the country,” she said.
Her performance at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games was less encouragingShe was fifth in the steeplechase with 9:26.75 and finished 15th in the 5000m in 15:08.56Chaudhary, however, believes the conditions played a major role.
“The weather (in Glasgow) was not good for steeplechase and before the CWG, I did not do training in cold weatherI was training in IndiaBut now, for the Asian Games, we will do little changes,”
She also admitted to making mistakes in Glasgow and said she is working on them before the Asian Games.
“The world champion girls were also having a tough timeIt was very cold there and I could not even walkI also felt that I have made some mistakesI am trying to correct it before the Asian Games,”
Race walker Priyanka Goswami is also preparing for a major changeAfter winning Commonwealth Games silver in the 10,000m race walk in Birmingham, she will compete in the 42.2km marathon race walk in Japan.
“I want to win a medalI have a full marathon of 42 kmThe race walking event is very tough at the Asian levelIt is as tough as the OlympicsBut I will do my best to win a medal,” Goswami said.
She knows the event requires a different approach.
“YesIt was 10000m in CWG and now it is 42 kmIt is completely different in terms of competition and training10 km is about speed and 42 km is about endurance,”
Goswami has also been preparing for the unusual accommodation planned in JapanSAI has created a container facility to give athletes an idea of what they may experience during the Games.
“It will be our first experienceWe will stay in a containerWe have a container here (at SAI) for the Asian Games athletesWe will get to know about the conditions thereWe have to be ready for thatSo, it has been a good learning experience till now,” she said.
