2023 was a truly memorable year for Indian sport. With so much having happened, ESPN India picks ten images that tell the story of the most stunning moments we witnessed over the year. Our fifth pick is Parul Chaudhary's extraordinary run at the Asian Games.
Japan's Ririka Hironaka thought she had won it. You see, she was leading the pack in the women's 5000m final at the Asian Games and was less than 20m away from the finish line.
And then she felt a gush of air to her left. Parul Chaudhary had turned on the afterburners and was blazing down the track on the inside lane. Fighting off the lactic acid building up in her sore muscles, Parul summoned her last ounce of strength. There was little Hironaka could do: she helplessly looked up at the sky in anguish as Parul crossed the finish line.
In a matter of three-odd seconds, it had all changed. She had not put a foot wrong in the first 4980m but was undone in the final 20m. Undone by a blur of blue that was Parul.
The frame at the finish line encapsulated the mood: Parul, arms lofted and outstretched palms, almost saying "Hey, I got this." If there was a frame to say, "Make way, the champion is here" this would be it.
To truly understand the value of Parul's victory, you also have to take into account that she had run the 3000m steeplechase less than 24 hours ago. And she finished second-best only to the world champion. The fact that Parul not only battled against the planet's best runner and then came back to run another 5000m less than a day later and win it by the smallest of margins tells you the significance of the gold medal. A historic gold medal at that, she became the first athlete in the history of the Asian Games to clinch a medal in the women's 3000m steeplechase and the 5000m. Oh, and she also became the first Indian woman to bag the 5,000m gold at the Games.
The win capped off a splendid 2023 for Parul, where she cut down her steeplechase personal best by 23 seconds and her 5,000m personal best by 29 seconds. It goes without saying that both of those timings are national records today.
Parul also won the 3000m steeplechase gold at the Asian Athletics Championships, a silver in the 5,000m and finished a respectable 11th at the World Championships. But nothing beats her 5000m gold at the Asian Games...it's a run that will go down as one of the most remarkable track medals won at the Asian Games.
There's more to it: the gold medal also took Parul closer to realizing her goal of joining the Uttar Pradesh police force. The state government usually awards the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) position to athletes who win gold medals in major international events.
Parul remains steadfast as ever to carve her path on the track. "If not for athletics, gaon mein rehte to shaadi vagera ho jaati (smiles) [if I was staying in my village I would have been married]. That's how it works in villages. Earlier, they would say get married at 23 or 24. But now they say you are running so well, focus on that and we'll look at marriage later," she had earlier told ESPN.
Now there's no such pressure on Parul. The only ask is for her to run. Run as fast as she can. And break stereotypes all along the way.