Indian runner Lalita Babar qualified for the final of the women's 3000 metre steeplechase event by finishing with the seventh fastest time in the heats on Saturday. Babar also set a new national record of 9:19.76. However, her compatriot Sudha Singh failed to make the cut, finishing 30th with a time of 9:43.29. Babar became the first Indian woman to qualify for the finals of a track event at the Olympics since PT Usha who achieved the feat at the 1984 Olympics.
The top three from each heat qualified for the final and the next six fastest athletes also qualified also known as lucky losers. Babar was the fastest among the other six which powered her qualification to the final. Overall, she was the seventh fastest athlete on the track.
The 27-year-old from Maharashtra finished fourth in her heat and put up an impressive display, despite stumbling early during her race. Her new record time of 9:19.76 shattered the previous one by seven seconds. Earlier this year, Babar broke her own national record to win gold in the women's 3000 metre steeplechase event at the Federation Cup National Athletics Championships in Delhi.
The final will take place on August 15.
In another track and field event, India’s Nirmala Sheoran failed to qualify for the women’s 400 metre semi-final. Starting from Lane 7 in heat 1, Sheoran ran a time of 53.03 and finished with an overall rank of 44th.