Haryana athlete Kiran Pahal secured an unexpected Olympic berth in the women's 400m event, breaking the automatic qualification mark of 50.95 seconds. She crossed the mark in just 50.92 seconds on the opening day of the National Inter-State Championships. Despite facing challenges, Kiran's determination and support from her late father led her to this remarkable achievement. She is the first Indian female quarter-miler to qualify for the Olympics after eight years since Nirmal Sheoran's 2016 Rio Games.
Kiran won her semifinal heat, ahead of Gujarat's Devy Aniba Zala who finished at 53.44 seconds, and Kerala's Sneha K finishing at 52.33 seconds, showcasing her impressive speed and personal best from 2022. On achieving the feat, Kiran expressed gratitude and mentioned, "It's a surprise for me. I never thought I would qualify for the Olympics and prepare for it. There is no bigger achievement than this. I was under some pressure in the preliminary heats as I was running after around one year. I knew that if I do well in heats, I will do better in the semifinals because you get better runners in the semifinals."
Indian athlete Kiran, who trains in Rohtak, is ready to join the 4*400m relay team if the Athletics Federation of India asks. Despite suffering multiple hamstring injuries, Kiran will face top quarter-milers Jyothika Sri Dandi, Subha Venkatesan, and Deepanshi in the medal round on Friday.
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