Lalita Babar

Lalita Babar (born 2 June 1989) is an Indian long-distance runner. She was born in a small village in the Satara district, Maharashtra. She predominantly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase and is the current Indian national record holder and the reigning Asian Champion in the same event.

Lalita Babar
Lalita Babar at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameLalita Shivaji Babar
NationalityIndian
Born (1989-06-02) 2 June 1989
Mohi, Satara, Maharashtra, India
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Weight50 kg (110 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)3000 metres steeplechase
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)9:19.76 (Rio de Janeiro 2016) NR
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  India
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2014 Incheon3000 m steeplechase
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Wuhan3000 m steeplechase
Updated on 13 August 2016.

Babar was named as the Sports Person of the Year in the India Sports Awards 2015 organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India.

Early life and junior career

Babar was born on 2 June 1989 in Mohi, a village in Satara district, in the Indian State of Maharashtra into a family of farmers.[1] She was born in an area which was regularly affected by droughts, which adversely affects the agriculture in the area.[2]

Babar started her career in athletics as a long-distance runner at a young age. She won her first Gold medal in the U-20 National Championships at Pune in 2005.[3]

Career
Babbar (first from left) during the 2016 Summer Olympics women's 3000 metres steeplechase final.

Babar began her career in track and field athletics as a long-distance runner.

In 2014, she became the hat-trick winner of the Mumbai Marathon.[4] Determined to win a medal in multi-discipline events like the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, she switched to 3000 metres steeplechase in January 2014, following her win at the marathon. At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, she won the bronze medal clocking 9:35.37 in the final. In the process, she broke the national record held by Sudha Singh.[5]

At the 2015 Asian Championships, Babar won the gold medal clocking 9:34.13 and broke her own personal record, the Indian national record and the games record. In the process, she qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics. She also qualified for 2016 Summer Olympic in Marathon with her personal best of 2:38:21 at Mumbai Marathon 2015.[6] She went on to break the record again at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing with a time of 9:27.86 in her qualifying heat.[7] Being the first Indian woman to qualify for the steeplechase final, she placed eighth in the final.[8][9]

In April 2016, she again bettered the national record with a time of 9:27.09 at the Federation Cup National Athletics Championships in New Delhi.[10] At the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, she bettered it with a time of 9:19.76 in her heat, qualifying to the final, and in the process became the first Indian in 32 years to enter a final in any track event.[11] At the final, she finished 10th with a time of 9:22.74.[12]

Public servant

According to a news story dated 2020-11-28, Babar has been appointed as tahasildar of Mangaon a taluka in Raigad district of Maharashtra, from the sports quota.[13]

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  India
2014 Asian Games Incheon, South Korea 3rd 3000 metres steeplechase 9:35.37
2015 Asian Championships Wuhan, China 1st 3000 metres steeplechase 9:34.13
World Championships Beijing, China 8th 3000 metres steeplechase 9:29.64
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 10th 3000 metres steeplechase 9:22.74

Awards

Sports Person of the Year Awards (2015), FICCI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

India Sports Awards (2015), by FICCI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

Arjuna Award, by Government of India[14][15]

References
  1. Waghmode, Vinayak (15 August 2016). "All eyes today on 'Mandeshi Express' Lalita Babar". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  2. "Family Battling Drought, but Lalita on a High with Asian Athletics Gold". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. "No Challenge is steep for Satara Girl Lalita Babar" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  4. "Lalita Babar sets new course record; completes hat-trick of titles at Mumbai Marathon". Daily News and Analysis. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  5. "Babar's decision to choose steeplechase pays off handsomely". Bangalore Mirror. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  6. Rayan, Stan (6 June 2015). "Vikas Gowda and Lalita Babar strike gold". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  7. Women's 3000 metres steeplechase heats results
  8. "5 Things About Lalita Babar – 1st Indian to Reach Steeplechase Finals, World Athletics Championships - The Better India". The Better India. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  9. Women's 3000 metres steeplechase results
  10. "Lalita Babar Sets National Mark, Sudha Singh Qualifies For Olympics". NDTV. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  11. "Chasing Olympic medal, Lalita Babar enters final 32 years after PT Usha". The Indian Express. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  12. "Lalita Babar finishes 10th in 3,000m steeplechase". The Indian Express. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  13. "धावपटू ललिता बाबर यांची माणगाव तहसीलदार पदी नेमणूक". 24taas.com. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  14. "India Sports Awards: Lalita Babar named Sports Person of the Year". The Indian Express. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  15. "Lalita Babar named Sportsperson of the Year in India Sports Awards". The Times of India. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
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