National record holder Sandeep Kumar was going strong at second position till near the halfway mark but he faded later on to finish 23rd with a below-par timing in the men’s 20km race walk event here on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Kumar crossed the finish line in 1 hour 25 minute and 7 seconds, well outside his national record time of 1:20:16 which he had clocked in February to qualify for the Olympics.
His two other compatriots, Rahul Rohilla (1:32:06) and K T Irfan (1:34:41) brought up the rear at 47th and 51st with disappointing performances under hot and humid conditions.
Fifty seven athletes started in the competition and 52 finished their races. Five were either disqualified or DNF (Did Not Finish).
Italian Massimo Stano won Gold in 1:21:05, while the Japanese pair of Ikeda Koki (1:21:28) and Yamanishi Toshikazu (1:21:46) took the Silver and Bronze respectively.