Doha Diamond League: Parul Chaudhary breaks National Record in Women's 3000m Steeplechase, qualifies for World Championships

Parul Chaudhary broke the national record in women's 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:13.39 at the Doha Diamond League on Friday night, qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The 28-year-old's performance surpassed her previous record of 9:15.31 set at the World Championships in Budapest two years ago.Chaudhary secured sixth place in a competitive field at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium, finishing ahead of Paris 2024 silver medalist Peruth Chemutai of Uganda who placed seventh.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"I felt very good in the race. The weather was also nice. Considering the way I trained, the race went well. This is the first time in two years my season-opener has been good," Parul told reporters after the event.Her timing exceeded the World Championships qualifying standard of 9:18.00, ensuring her spot at the Tokyo meet in September.Kenya's Faith Cherotich won the race with a world-leading time of 9:05.08. Bahrain's Olympic champion Winfred Yavi claimed second place with 9:05.26, while Ethiopian Sembo Almayew finished third in 9:09.27.The performance marks a strong start to Chaudhary's 2025 athletics season and establishes her position as India's leading steeplechaser in the increasingly competitive global field.In other results from Doha, Indian athlete Gulveer Singh made his Diamond League debut in the men's 5000m event. The 25-year-old finished ninth with a time of 13:24.32.Singh, who had previously won bronze in the 10,000m at the Asian Games and set the Indian 5000m record of 12:59.77 in Boston earlier this year, competed against a strong field.Kenya's Reynold Cheruiyot won the men's 5000m event, setting a new personal best of 13:16.40.