"Trained on roads....": Racewalk athlete Ram Baboo opens up on journey towards Olympic qualification

By Sahil Kohli
New Delhi [India], March 28 : Indian racewalker Ram Baboo, who recently qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics in 20 km racewalk, opened up about the tough times he had during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced him to work as a labourer under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and his journey from then till two of his biggest accomplishments: an Asian Games medal last year and Olympic qualification.
Baboo breached the qualifying standard for the Paris 2024 Olympics after he clinched the bronze medal in the men's 20km race walk event at the Dudinska 50 2024 athletics competition in Dudince, Slovakia, on March 16. The Asian Games medalist clocked one hour and 20 minutes (1:20:00) and met the Paris Olympics qualifying standard for the event, which is set at 1:20:10.
Speaking to the ANI last week about his qualification, Baboo said, "It feels very happy. Finally, something for which I really worked hard and trained, has finally come true."
However, his journey towards the Olympic qualification was not an easy one. Son of a daily wage labourer, Baboo had to work under the MGNREGA scheme as a labourer along with his father to fund his training, etc. Due to pandemic-infused lockdowns, training facilities and gyms, etc., were closed and the athlete spent his time training on roads. But as evident by his latest accomplishment, his efforts bore fruit.
"Before COVID-19 and lockdowns, I had a first rank in nationals. I thought if I kept working hard, I could get a medal in the future. During the lockdown, the financial situation was poor and I had to work with my father under MGNREGA. I thought of going back to my training once the lockdown was over. In July 2020, I came to Bhopal for training and trained for six months on roads. Gyms and training facilities were closed. I got a medal in the 50-kilometre race walk at the national level," said Baboo.
"Then I joined the Army Sports Institute in Pune and trained there, the atmosphere was nice. In September 2021, I set a national record in 35 km and got a gold. I was selected in Indian team and I have been in the team since then. Then I secured an Asian Games medal in Hangzhou (mixed 35 km racewalk bronze) and qualified for the Olympics in Slovakia by achieving my personal best," added the athlete.
Talking about his training, he said that in a 20-kilometre racewalk, the training focuses on speed, endurance and strength, and there are technique drills too.
Talking about the support he has received from various bodies, Baboo pointed out that he has received great support from the UP government, the Union Sports Ministry, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and IOS Sports and Entertainment, a company that manages him.
"The Sports Ministry has increased the sports budget, they are organising national camps for us, sending players out abroad for training, this all helps us athletes a lot. India is improving day by day in sports. The results of the government's expenditure on sports is visible on a global level. We can now perform better in future," he concluded.