Who is Parul Chaudhary? Indian Athlete Scripts History With Gold And Silver Medals in Asian Games – News18

Parul Chaudhary became a household name in India by claiming a gold and silver medal in the ongoing Asian Games. Parul took the Asian Games by storm and made India proud on the big stage with her impressive show. The 28-year-old showed grit and resilience to claim the women’s 5000m race. The odds were against her as she was at the second spot in the final seconds but she managed to accelerate with 20-25 meters left to get past Japan’s Ririka Hironaka for the top position with a timing of 15:14.75.

Meanwhile, on Monday, she went on to claim the silver medal in the 3000m women’s steeplechase but bettered her performance in the 5000m to bring the yellow metal. In 3000m steeplechase, Parul clocked 9:27.63 seconds, which was more than nine seconds behind the Bahrain runner, who took the top podium finish in 9:18.28 seconds, a new Games record.

The 28-year-old athlete hails from Uttar Pradesh and her father is a farmer in Iklauta near Meerut. She was born on April 15, 1995.

Parul has always been a fighter on a track in 2011 at a young age, she ran barefoot and competed in 800m in her school. Later she decided to switch to 1500 m and 3000 m and took to 5000 m.

She focused on the 5000m and the 3000m steeplechase and now has made a big name for herself in both categories.

2023 has been a golden year for Parul thus far as she won the yellow metal in women’s 3000m steeplechase in the Asian Athletics Championships which was held at Bangkok. Recently in August, she grabbed the attention by registering her personal best time and national record in 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:15.31 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The win in Budapest helped her secure a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Parul has been the top Indian woman steeplechaser in the last few years. She is an accidental athlete, taking up the sport when her father told her to participate in a school race without any preparation. She won the 800m race barefoot and thus began her journey in athletics.