Race walker Priyanka Goswami seeks an Australian step up

Returning medal less amid the euphoria surrounding India’s 100 plus haul at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Priyanka Goswami was distraught. Only India’s second race walking medallist at the Commonwealth Games — she won 10,000m silver at 2022 Birmingham — Goswami finished fifth in the 20km event a year on in Hangzhou clocking 1:43:07, her slowest of the season.

Back home, the 27 year old would wake up with the chills. Meerut’s Priyanka Goswami after winning silver in 20 km race walk at Asian Athletics meet in Bangkok on Sunday. (Sourced) "I didn't feel like waking up at all. I wished ki din na ho, bas raat hi chalti rahe (I didn’t want the night to end),” Goswami said.

Wrap up the year gone by & gear up for 2024 with HT! Click here In all that gloom, a spark of realisation struck the Tokyo Olympian who has secured her 2024 Paris Games ticket. Goswami, who won silver at the Asian Championships in July, felt she was undone by a lack of planning in terms of when to peak more than anything else.

A step up in training, coaching and planning was the need of the hour. “I thought, ‘yaar Priyanka, you've worked so hard, yet you're returning empty handed'. That's when I felt I needed a good coach who would help me plan such things for the level I'm competing in and want to be," said the national record holder in the 10km, 20km and 35km walk events.

Goswami rang in the new year by flying to Australia. Under Australian walks coach Brent Vallance, she'll be based in a high altitude training centre near Canberra until March. Having spent most of her training days at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru with the odd foreign experiments, the Australia stint will differ majorly in the quality of the training group.

The Indian will train with some top race walkers, including Australia's Jemima Montag (2023 Worlds silver medallist and twice CWG champion), Sandra Arenas of Colombia (Tokyo Olympics silver medallist), Liu Hong of China (three time Olympic medallist) and Greece's Antigoni Drisbioti (2023 Worlds 35km bronze medallist).

“I'll be training with such a high quality group for the first time. I'm glad TOPS, SAI and the federation accepted my proposal. Otherwise, I've mostly been here in India largely on my own," Goswami said. “In India, there aren't any girls now at the level and timing I'm at.” Ahead of the CWG performance, Goswami trained at Kyrgyzstan's Cholpon Ata, a resort town at an altitude of 1,633m.

At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Goswami (PB 1:28:45 in 20km) finished 17th in the event (1:32.36) in which Arenas (silver, 1:29:37) and Liu (1:29:57, bronze) were on the podium. “In Tokyo, I thought, ‘mein kaha aa gayi (where did I come?)’. Even if the other girl was below my level, just looking at her I'd feel fearful.

Now I'll be training with girls who are at the same or better level than me.” The Aussie coach is said to be more data driven, with focus on recovery too. “He analysed all my data for the past year from my watch: average timings in competitions, the distances I did this year, how it could improve, etc.,.” The biggest change Goswami hopes for with this switch is in planning.

Periodisation, charting competition specific targets and peaking towards that were concepts almost alien to her. “I've spent plenty of years doing this. But not once did I have a plan for an entire year. If I was in India, I would've only been preparing for our national meet in January. This coach is looking more long term; he wants me to compete there but not peak." She believes not knowing how to peak led to her Asian Games letdown, which took time to overcome.

“I would sit teary eyed at home, wouldn't speak to anyone. My family also doesn't understand the sport. They only saw others coming back with a medal and not me. I felt even sadder watching them,” the Uttar Pradesh athlete said. Paris Olympics goals Among the early birds from India to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics by clocking 1:28:50 at the Indian Race Walking Championships in February, Goswami termed shaking up her training set up a “risk” but hoped it pays off.

“If I've been brave enough to do something hatke (different), it won't go to waste," she said. “The goal remains winning a medal (in Paris). And because Paris will be hot, I expect medal timings to be around 1:28 29. I just have to be mentally strong, maintain my timings and peak there.” A new mixed relay event (over the marathon distance of 42.195 Catch all the Latest World Cup news and Live score along with India vs Australia Live Score and World Cup Schedule related updates on Hindustan Times Website and APPs SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Share Via Copy Link Athletics.