Suraj Panwar of Uttarakhand won Gold Medal in Race Walking. | 31 Oct 2023

Why In News?

In the 37th National Games held in Goa on October 30, 2023; Suraj Panwar of Uttarakhand won the first gold medal in athletics for the state 20 km (about 12.43 mi) race walking.

Key Points:

• Suraj Panwar completed the 20 km race in one hour and 27 minutes and won the gold medal. With this, Uttarakhand has so far won eight medals, including two gold and one silver, in the National Games.
• According to Uttarakhand Olympic Association General Secretary Dr. DK Singh, Uttarakhand has so far received two gold medals. Earlier, Nikhil Bharti of Rudrapur won the gold medal by defeating the Maharashtra player 41-29 in the final of the Penchak Silat game.
• Uttarakhand's Ankita Dhyani won the bronze medal in the 1500 m (about 4921.26 ft) race of the National Games. He completed the race in four minutes and 16 seconds. Ankita is originally from Meruda village in Jaiharikhal block of Pauri.
• Suraj Panwar had earlier won a silver medal in the 5000 m (about 3.11 mi) walking race of the Youth Olympics held in Argentina in 2018. In 2018, he won silver in the 5000 m (about 3.11 mi) race walking at the Asian Championships held in Thailand, while last year he finished 24th in the 20 km (about 12.43 mi) race walking in Doha.