After Asiad success, Sudha Singh aims for glory in Tokyo 2020

At 32, steeplechaser, Sudha Singh made the country proud by winning the silver medal at the Asian Games in Indonesia. Now she has her sights firmly set on performing well in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

“For me, the 2020 Games is the biggest target as this will be my third Olympics. I would like to finish on a high,” she said on Wednesday, as quoted by Hindustan Times. Sudha, who will be 34 by the time Tokyo Olympics further added that “Only after Tokyo Olympics will I think about my plans.”

She recorded her second best timing at the recently concluded Games at 9:40.03 seconds.

She, however, has planned to skip the Open Nationals which is scheduled to be held later this month in Bhubaneswar. But the gold-medallist at the 2017 Asian Athletic Championships said that she would participate World Railways Athletics to be in October in Czech Republic.

“I will start preparations soon as the World Railways is my next mission before the 2020 Tokyo Games,” she said.

Sudha won her first gold medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Games and since the Rae Bareli athlete has gone on to win five medals. In the 2012 London Olympics, she shattered her national record in the 3,000m steeplechase event, clocking 9:47.70 seconds. Despite that she failed to make it to the finals, ending at the 13^th  place in the heat.

An illness in 2016 made her return to the country and after being diagnosed with swine flu she was ruled out from participating anymore.

Sudha, after bagging the bronze medal, had suffered an early exit from the 3000m steeplechase event from the IAAF Continental Cup at Ostrava.

Sudha met governor Ram Naik after returning to Lucknow and she said, “It was really an exciting moment for me. He (governor) wished me luck for the future.”