Tokyo Olympics 2020, Form Guide: Tracking KT Irfan's performances over last two years

Editor’s Note: For five years now, Indian athletes have been dreaming to make up for the disappointment of a two-medal haul in Rio. The span has been extraordinary, with COVID-19 having thrown their preparations - and the Olympics itself - off gear. However, in true Olympic spirit, the country’s finest sportspersons have battled form and uncertainty to put their best foot forward in what promises to be a Games like none other. In our latest series, we track the last two years’ performances of our athletes to give you a ready guide to their form leading into the biggest sporting spectacle of the world. With the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching, Firstpost takes a quick look at Indian racewalker KT Irfan, and charts his journey towards securing Olympic qualification: KT Irfan was the first track and field athlete from India to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Irfan achieved the feat after finishing fourth at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan. The Kerala race walker clocked 1 hour 20 minutes and 57 seconds to better the Olympics qualification standard of 1 hour 21 minutes. This will be the second Olympics for Irfan who last qualified for the London Games in 2012 and finished 10th with a time of one hour 20 minutes and 21 seconds, a national record then. In October 2019, Irfan missed out on a bronze medal after finishing fourth in the 20km race walk event at the CISM World Military Games in Wuhan, China. Next year in February, Irfan came first in the National Race Walking Championship in Chennai with a timing of one hour, 26 minutes and 18 seconds, well below the world championship qualification standard of 1:22:30. During lockdown, Irfan trained alone at the SAI centre in Bengaluru and kept in touch with his coach on WhatsApp. Later in 2020, Irfan was included in the sports ministry’s TOPS core group. Earlier in July, as per AFI regulations, KT Irfan along with fellow racewalker Bhawana Jat, underwent fitness tests, with the AFI making clear that they wouldn;t send unfit athletes to Tokyo. Click here to check out form guides for the rest of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.