Latest news with #Servin
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Lack of experience cost me gold: Servin Sebastian
Servin Sebastian CHENNAI: Last year, race walker Servin Sebastian was close to qualifying for the Paris Olympics. He had breached the Olympic qualification mark at the National Race Walking Championships but later his timing was not considered due to faulty readings in the competition. He then had another go at the qualification mark but fell short. The 25-year-old went through a tough period but has bounced back strongly this season by winning medals in all competitions that he has competed in. On Tuesday, Servin added another feather to his cap as he clinched bronze in the Asian Athletics Championships men's 20km race walk with a personal-best timing of 1:21:13.60 in Gumi. In his maiden continental meet, Servin remained with the lead group until the 18km mark. However, he slowed down towards the end, allowing China's Wang Zhao and Kento Yoshikawa of Japan to surge ahead and secure gold and silver respectively. 'I could have won gold, but a major mistake cost me the victory. I was feeling tired, and the coaches have always insisted that I should not take a water break in the final kilometre. Since the race course's distance was two kilometres, I decided to take a break at the 18km mark. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo I had done everything correctly until then, but my lack of experience worked against me,' Servin told TOI from South Korea. Servin's coach Ganapathi Krishnan, who competed in 20km race walk at the Rio Olympics, reiterated what his student said and felt that his presence could have helped him perform better. 'I am happy for him, but I am not satisfied as a coach. He had good training sessions, and I expected him to clock a better time. I felt that he needed someone to guide him during the race,' Ganapathi said. Servin joined the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune in 2022, and since then, Ganapathi has been his guiding light. Ganapathi played a pivotal role in Servin's comeback after he failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics. 'Servin joined the Army in 2020 but started training at the ASI in 2022. Servin performed well during trials, but there were a few technical issues that needed to be tweaked. He has developed into a better athlete since then,' Ganapathi added. Servin has had a good start to the season, winning gold medals at the National Games and the National Race Walking Championships. With these performances, the 25-year-old is placed 45th on the 'Road to the World Championships' list. By winning bronze at the Asian meet, Servin will move into the top-40. Athletes who do not meet the qualification mark will have to be ranked in the top-50 to make it to the Worlds. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Race walker Servin Sebastian's inspiring story: from nearly quitting four months back to winning bronze at Asian Athletics Championship
In January, Servin Sebastian was on the verge of quitting race walking. A family matter had affected his mental peace. He didn't have the mindspace to train. Servin had decided to head back home to his village, Edayathumangalam in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu to be with his family, his army coach Ganapathi Krishnan, said. However, Ganapathi, a 2016 Olympian, didn't want Servin to drop out. He counselled Servin, the gist of his message was about not wasting an opportunity to win a 'big medal' and bring joy to his family. On Tuesday, Servin won his first international medal, a bronze at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea. The top seven finishers bettered the meet record, Servin posted a personal best of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 14 seconds. China's Asian Games silver medallist Zhaozhao Wang (1:20:37) won gold and Japan's Kento Yoshikawa (1:20:46) took the silver. For Ganapathi, the Asian Championships silver is a proof of Servin's potential. He's also glad that the athlete who almost dropped out four months ago finished on the podium in Gumi. 'Servin was very stressed at the start of the year because of a family issue. It was understandable. But I told him he would be making a mistake if he gave up race-walking because he had potential. I told him to go home for 10 days and return. We used to talk everyday and I tried my best to keep him motivated but at the same time lend him an ear. If he trusts a coach then he will give his 100 percent,' Ganapathi said. The first person Servin spoke to after winning the silver medal was his mother Gracy. 'She was crying because of joy,' Servin told The Indian Express from Gumi, South Korea. His father Sebastian, a farmhand who earns Rs 250 a day, came on the line next. 'When I started off my father borrowed money to buy me shoes. Today I am happy I could give something to them in return. Winning a first international medal is a special moment. In 2023, I won silver medals at national competitions, then last year I won gold medals. Winning a bronze at the Asian Championships is the next step. I hope to qualify for the World Championships later this year,' Servin said. Servin is also elated about registering a personal best. Last year at the Indian Race Walking Championships in Chandigarh, Servin had qualified for the Paris Olympics by clocking 1:20.03, however, the results didn't stand because of faulty timing systems. 'What happened last year was not in my control. But I had to accept my fate. It was not the fault of athletes. I am someone who does not think about the past. Today, I am happy that I could also clock a personal best that will remain in the record books,' Servin, an Indian army havildar, said. He started off as an 800 metre runner but a hamstring injury when he was 16, forced him to change course. A trainee at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri hostel, Servin's career as a 800 metre athlete had hit a roadblock. However, his coach Indira asked him not to despair. 'Indira ma'am asked me to try race walking. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but because of the hamstring injury it was the best option for me,' Servin said. Coach Indira cajoled him to take the next important step in his career — appear for selection trials of the Indian army. Servin was inducted in 2018 and initially trained in Hyderabad, before moving to the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune four years later. Since then Ganapathi has been his coach. Technical tweaks Ganapathi recalls that Servin needed a few technical tweaks if he was to progress. Indian walkers have been disqualified overseas because of technical faults — three at the 2018 Asian Games. Ganapathi too has seen red paddles when he was an active athlete. 'What generally happens in India is that coaches and athletes try to get as fast as possible without focussing on the technical aspects. That is because they want quick results. What happens in international competition is that till about 10 kilometres Indian walkers are doing well but once the speed picks up they are not able to keep pace without committing a foul. This also happens because they get tired. Indian walkers have great potential if they correct technical flaws early,' Ganapaty said. In Servin's case what needed correction was what is called the 'bounce' or both feet in the air. 'In race-walking at least one foot needs to be in contact with the ground at all times. So, in the off-season I helped him iron out technical issues by giving him longer training sessions but at a slower pace so there is no 'bounce'. He will only get better from here on,' Ganapathi said. With an Asian bronze medal under his belt, Servin knows what it takes to rub shoulders with some of the best in the continent.
India Gazette
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Asian Athletics C'ships: Gulveer, Servin open India's medal tally
Gumi [South Korea], May 27 (ANI): Indian athletes kickstarted the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 in Gumi on a high, with Gulveer Singh securing a gold medal in men's 10,000 m and Servin Sebastian bagging a 20 km race walk bronze medal. As per Annu Rani, in women's javelin throw, bagged the fourth spot. Gulveer, the national record holder in men's 3000m, 5000m and 10000m, clocked 28:38.63 minutes for the win in Gumi. The Indian athlete outdid Japan's Mebuki Suzuki (28:43.84) and Bahrain's Albert Kibichi Rop (28:46.82). India's Sawan Barwal finished fourth with 28:50.53 minutes. Gulveer will also later feature in men's 5000 m action later on, having secured a bronze medal in the same category in the Asian Championships back in 2023. Earlier, Servin also bagged a bronze medal in the men's 20 km race walk event, clocking personal best of 1:21:14 hour, finishing behind Wang Zhaozhao (1:20:37) of China and Kento Yoshikawa (1:20:46) of Japan. The fifth position was bagged by India's Amit Khatri, who had the timings of 1:22:15 hour. Servin's previous best was in the National Games earlier this year, while Akshdeep holds the national record in the category, having clocked 1:19:55 hours in the National Games as well. The Asian Games champion Annu though, fell short of a medal with her best attempt of 58.30 m, which was also her third attempt. China's Su Lingdan bagged the gold medal, with a personal best of 63.92m, while the Japanese duo Sae Takemoto (58.94m) and Momone Ueda (58.60m) filled the rest of the podium. Annu's personal best of 63.82 m, is also the Indian national record in women's javelin throw. Also, Yoonus Shah made it to the final of the men's 1500 m final, finishing second in the heats with a time of 3:46.96 minutes. Ajay Kumar Saroj had bagged the Asian Championships gold for the nation two years back in Bangkok in this event. Sarvesh Anil Kushare also qualified for the men's high jump final after a joint-fourth place finish in the qualifiers with a 2.10m clearance. Vishal TK secured a spot in the men's 400 m final while Jay Kumar was eliminated in the semifinals. Vishal also clocked his new personal best of 46.05s in the semi-finals. Paris 2024 Olympian Vithya Ramraj and Rupal Chaudhary also secured their tickets to the semi-finals of the women's 400m. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Asian athletics: Gulveer wins gold, race walker Servin takes bronze
New Delhi: Servin Sebastian was unfortunate to miss out on a Paris Olympics berth. The results of the race walking meet in Chandigarh where he breached the Paris qualification mark were not considered by World Athletics due to a technical glitch of the organisers. There were a couple of meets left before Paris but Servin could not repeat his performance. A crestfallen Servin decided to take a break from race walking and not compete this season. It was then that Army coach Basanta Bahadur Rana stepped in and motivated him to look ahead and get over the setback. The Tamil Nadu race walker has not only started afresh but is performing with renewed vigour. On Tuesday, Servin took bronze at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea – his first big international medal – with a personal best timing of 1:21:14. Paris Olympian and Asian Games silver medallist Wang Zhaozhao of China (1:20:37) won gold, seeing off a tough fight from Japan's Kento Yoshikawa (1:20:46). The second Indian, Amit, came fifth (1:22:14.30). 'I have worked hard this season to win an international medal. Though the disappointment of not going to Olympics still lingers, with encouragement from my coach I was able to look at the bigger goal,' Servin told HT. 'I was so dejected after the episode that I wanted to take a long break and not do race walking for sometime. I discussed it with my coach but he encouraged me, saying such things are part of an athlete's life and that I have the potential to do much better,' he said. While Servin opened India's medal count, distance runner Gulveer Singh executed a brilliant final kick to win gold in 10,000m. Asian Games medallist Gulveer ran a brilliant last lap to surge past his rivals and dash home with a timing of 28:38.63. His personal best stands at 27:00.22, the national record which he achieved at a meet in the US in March. Given the hot and humid conditions, Gulveer did well to bide his time before accelerating, leaving behind Japan's Mebuki Suzuki (28:43.84) and Bahrain's Albert Kibichi Rop (28:46.82), who led for the most part of the race. 'The goal was to finish first and I am happy that I was able to execute my race strategy,' said Gulveer. 'There were expectations from me to win gold and this medal will enhance my chances of qualifying for the world championships.' This performance will give him a big boost for the 5,000m race on the last day of the competition (May 31). Gulveer has been on a record-breaking spree this season and has qualified for the September Tokyo worlds in 5,000m through entry standard (12:59.77), achieved at a meet at Boston University. At his Diamond League debut in Doha on May 16, Gulveer finished 9th. He trained in Doha and then in Delhi and was able to adjust to the hot conditions in Gumi. Water stations were in place during the race. 'I wanted to conserve my energy for the last lap. I wasn't feeling tired after crossing the finish line. If someone had pushed me, I could have gone faster,' he added. The second Indian in the race, Sawan Barwal, finished fourth clocking 28:50.53. Earlier, Servin gave India a good start. This season, Servin has shown top form in the domestic circuit winning gold at the National Games (1:21:23) and Indian Open Race Walking Competition (1:21:47). 'I want to do well in every race so that I can compete at the world championships.' The performance in Gumi will give a big boost to his world rankings and the Race to Tokyo rankings. He is currently 45th, with 50 slots available for the race walkers at the worlds. Servin could have done better had he not stopped for a water break at a crucial juncture. In hot and humid conditions, Servin did well to stay with the leading pack of seven athletes for a major part of the race. Breaking off from the pack, he maintained a good pace behind the Chinese and Japanese walkers. 'It was a mistake to go for water so close to the finish line with two km left. I was already in a medal position but could have done better. Once they went ahead the gap widened and I could never catch them.' These are important learnings for Servin, who has emerged as India's best in 20km race walk in the last one year. 'He has been a standout performer. He pushes himself in training and is mentally strong,' says Basanta Bahadur Rana. Woman javelin national record holder, Annu Rani, came fourth with a best effort of 58.30m. In decathlon, Tejaswin Shankar led the field after the first day's events.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Servin Sebastian claims bronze in men's 20km race walk
India won its first medal at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 from the men's 20km race walk event through Servin Sebastian, who claimed bronze. Servin clocked a personal best timing of 1:21:13.60 to win his first medal at the continental level. He is the eighth Indian to medal in the men's 20km race walk event at the Asian Championships. In the women's javelin throw, India's Annu Rani narrowly missed out on a bronze medal after finishing fourth. Rani's best throw (58.40m) came from third attempt. In the women's 400m event, India's Rupal Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj made it to the final after finishing 1st and 2nd in their respective heats. In men's 1500m heats, Yoonus Shah finished second to qualify for the final.
