 Singh in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sudha Singh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | (1986-06-25)25 June 1986 (age 39) |
| Height | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 45 kg (99 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | India |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | 3000 metres steeplechase |
| Club | Railways |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | 9:26:55 (Shanghai 2016) |
| Updated on 9 July 2017 | |
Sudha Singh (born 25 June 1986) is an Indian Olympic athlete in the3000 metres steeplechase event. A national record holder in the event, she has represented India at international events since 2005. Singh is anAsian Champion in the discipline and has won two gold and four silver medals at varying editions of theAsian Games and thecontinental championships.
Singh's breakthrough came at the2010 Asian Games inGuangzhou, where she won the gold medal in steeplechase. She has since won a gold at the2017 Asian Athletics Championships inBhubaneswar and a silver at the2018 Asian Games inJakarta and has represented India at two consecutiveOlympic Games in2012 and2016. Singh was conferred with India's second highest sporting honour, theArjuna Award in 2012.She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award thePadma Shri in 2021.[1][2]
Singh's breakthrough performance came in the2010 Asian Games inGuangzhou, China when she won the gold medal with a time of 9:55.67; she became the first Asian Champion in the discipline as it was the first instance of the 3000 meters steeplechase at theAsian Games.[3]
In June 2012, Singh qualified for Olympic Games 2012 after she broke her own 3,000m steeplechase national record with a timing of 9:47.70 secs.[4] At the2012 Summer Olympics, Singh finished 13th in her steeplechase heat and did not qualify for the finals.[5]
In the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea, Sudha finished fourth, one place behind Lalita Babar who not only won the bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase event but also broke Sudha's national record, clocking 9:35.37 in the process.[6] However, the gold medallist Ruth Jebet from Bahrain was disqualified on account of stepping inside the track before crossing the line, and Singh was promoted and won the bronze medal.[7]
In August 2015, Sudha Singh sealed her spot in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a 19th-place finish in the women's marathon event, one place behindO.P.Jaisha in Beijing. Singh finished just behindJaisha at 19th with a time of 2:35:35.[8]
Maharashtra'sLalita Babar finished the 3000 meters steeplechase in 9:27.09 to win the gold and set the national record while Sudha, representing Uttar Pradesh, came up with a timing of 9:31.86 and bettered the Rio Games qualification standard of 9:45.00 on the second and penultimate day of the Federation Cup National Athletics Championships in Delhi.[9] Singh bettered the national Record in May 2016, at theInternational Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF)Diamond League inShanghai.[10]
At the2016 Summer Olympics Singh took ill after competing and returned to India, where she was diagnosed with swine flu and ruled out from competition for the rest of the season.[11]
Singh participated in the2018 Asian Games inJakarta, having trained under her new coaches Lalit Bhanot and Renu Kolhi. She won the silver medal in the 3000 meters steeplechase with a time of 9:40.04 minutes.[12] Singh toldThe Quint that she was dropped from the team owing to her age, but was happy that she could come up with a medal under the tutelage of her new support staff. She said: "I am very happy that I won the medal despite everyone telling me that I'm too old to compete at the International circuit [...] My critics have motivated me to do better."[13]
Following her gold medal at the2010 Asian Games, Singh was awarded the Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji International Sports Award byGovernment of Uttar Pradesh. Singh was subsequently conferred with theArjuna Award (India's second highest sporting honour) by theGovernment of India in 2012.[3]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing India | |||||
| 2009 | Asian Championships | Guangzhou, China |  | 3000 m s'chase | 10:10.77 |
| 2010 | Commonwealth Games | Delhi, India | 5th | 3000 m s'chase | 9:57.63 |
| Asian Games | Guangzhou, China |  | 3000 m s'chase | 9:55.67 | |
| 2011 | Asian Championships | Kobe, Japan | | 3000 m s'chase | 10:08.52 |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 21st (h) | 3000 m s'chase | 9:48.86 |
| 2013 | Asian Championships | Pune, India | | 3000 m s'chase | 10:09.80 |
| World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 23rd (h) | 3000 m s'chase | 9:51.05 | |
| 2014 | Asian Games | Incheon, South Korea | 4th | 3000 m s'chase | 9:35.64 |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 19th | Marathon | 2:35:35 |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 30th (h) | 3000 m s'chase | 9:43.29 |
| 2017 | Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar, India | | 3000 m s'chase | 9:59.47 |
| 2018 | Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | | 3000 m s'chase | 9:40.03 |
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