Nairobi, Aug 21: Amit Khatri won a silver in men’s 10,000m race walk event to clinch India’s second medal at the World U-20 Athletics Championship here on Saturday.
The 17-year-old Khatri, the national record holder and world U-20 season leader, clocked 42 minute 17.94 seconds to finish second behind Kenya’s Heristone Wanyoni (42:10.84) on the fourth and penultimate day of the championships.
Khatri was leading after the 9000m mark but the local athlete Wanyoni pulled ahead with less than two laps left in the race to win gold with a personal best time.
Paul McGrath of Spain won the bronze with a timing of 42:26.11 minutes.
The Rohtak lad rued that he could not produce his personal best of 40:40.97 which he had recorded while winning gold during the Federation Cup Junior National Championships in January.
The high altitude conditions in the Kenyan capital had affected Khatri’s performance as he struggled for breath during the race. Nairobi is at an altitude of around 1800m from sea level. “It is not the result I expected but I am happy with the silver medal. Even though I came here five days before the event to acclimatise, the high altitude affected me,” Khatri said after his race. (PTI)
