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Kiran Pahal secured her Paris 2024 berth by breaching the Olympic qualification mark on Thursday, June 27. The 23-year-old athlete clocked 50.92 seconds in the semifinal of the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Panchkula. The Olympic qualification mark for women’s 400m was 50.95 seconds. Pahal became the second fastest women’s 400m, just behind Hima Das (50.79 seconds).
The time recorded by Pahal is her personal best record. Only she and Hima have run the 400m in less than 51 seconds. The runner ended ahead of Devy Aniba Zala of Gujarat who recorded 53.44 whereas Sneha K stood third by clocking 53.51s. Over the years, Pahal has seen significant growth in her 400m event career.
She rose to prominence with her remarkable performance at the 2019 National Open in Ranchi, where he recorded 52.73s. Her previous best was 55.18s in 2018. After securing her Paris berth, Pahal told The Bridge, "I had no idea about the qualification but I feel more than happy at the moment. I will do my best in the final and you can see a better timing. My only focus was to run well and the result came by."
Notably, the Sonepat-born athlete returned to track after a long gap of 18 months due to a hamstring injury as well as family problems.
