LUCKNOW: India’s ace woman race walker Priyanka Goswami enters the Commonwealth Games as a strong medal hope in the 10,000m event, and the confidence shown by her childhood coach VK Bajpai is backed by a career built on consistency, discipline and proven results. With her international exposure and history of delivering under pressure, the 30-year-old looks well placed to chase another podium finish at the Glasgow Games.
Hailing from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka has been a leading member of India’s race-walking squad and is a two-time Olympian – she competed at the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games.
“I am sure that this time Priyanka will make a top finish at the CWG 2026. She has done her preparations well,” he said on Tuesday. “Her enthusiasm and ability to excel at the top level is amazing since her childhood, when she began her training under me at Meerut.”
Priyanka goes into the Glasgow Games having clocked 43:49 for the 10,000m race-walk event at the Berlin Brandenburg competition in May.
Bajpai’s confidence in his former ward appears rooted in her proven habits rather than sentiment alone. Priyanka has repeatedly shown that she can convert preparation into performance, whether in national-record runs, Asian-level medals or world-stage finishes.
“After every event even now, we keep discussing her performance and I would love to see her holding the gold medal in her hand this time at the CWG,” he said.
The diminutive Priyanka’s breakthrough came when she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and set the national record in the women’s 20 km race walk, clocking 1:28:45. She built on that performance by setting a national record in the 35 km race walk as well, clocking 2:56:34. Those marks showed she has developed into an athlete who can handle speed and endurance events.
Her strongest CWG performance came in Birmingham 2022 when she became the first Indian woman to win a race-walk medal at the Games. She won silver in the 10,000m race walk setting a national record (43:38.83). That medal gave her a psychological edge. Priyanka has said that the CWG changed her career, giving her recognition and financial support.
Priyanka has continued to stay relevant on the international stage and recent results suggest she is peaking at the right time. At the 2026 World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia, she finished 10th in the marathon race walk, helping India secure the fifth place in the women’s team event.
Her coach Ronald Weigel has mapped out a long-term plan. She has spoken about building up through long training sessions, including 42 km efforts before nationals and a 35 km long session at a high-altitude camp in Ooty recently.
She has indicated that her plan is to focus on shorter outings and sharpen her timing for the 10 km event.
Priyanka has already come through the pressure of a CWG with a silver medal. She knows the expectations and the tactical demands of the race.
“A top finish at CWG 2026 will depend on execution, pace management and avoiding mistakes, but the signs are encouraging. She has the records, the experience and the self-belief,” said Bajpai.
