Indian middle-distance runner Parul Chaudhary set a new national record in the 5000 meters on Saturday. She recorded a time of 15 minutes 4.26 seconds at a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meet in France. This improved her previous mark by six seconds as she placed second behind Ethiopia’s Seniya Bereka, who finished in 15:03.85.
Although she fell short of the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard of 14:56.60, the performance marks a positive beginning for the 31-year-old in her initial 5000m race of the season.
It was her second outing of the year, following a seventh-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase at the Shanghai Diamond League. During that competition, she also qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the steeplechase with a time of 9:12.84, exceeding the required mark of 9:27.41.
