Parul Chaudhary and Avinash Sable created new national records at the Sound Running Track Festival held in Los Angeles late on Saturday night in the women’s and men’s 5000-metre runs, respectively.
28-year-old Parul Chaudhary broke the 13-year-long record set at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou by Preeja Sreedharan, bettering it by more than five seconds. Parul clocked 15:10:35, while the previous national record stood at 15:15.89.
Avinash bettered his own national record by clocking 13:19.30, more than a six-second improvement from his previous time of 13:25:65.
Speaking about the achievement, Parul Chaudhary said: “I am feeling great that I have been able to break a record that has been intact for the last 13 years. I am thankful to my coaches,Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) and JSW Sports for constantly supporting me and ensuring that all my requirements for training are taken care of.”
The 2019 Asian Championship bronze medallist also commented on her training in the US and said, “I have been training in the United States since April, and I would say that this training has really benefited me. I have been getting the exposure that is needed, and I would continue training outside the country to improve my results.”
“Every day I set a new target and aim to achieve it. My next target is to qualify for the World Championships, and I am confident that I will do it. My next competition is on the 19th of May, and I want to improve my performance,” she added.