Prachi Choudhary is an Indian athlete. She was a member of the women’s 4 × 400 m relay Indian team, which won silver at the 19th Asian Games in 2023.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Prachi Choudhary Kaliyar was born on Saturday, 10 May 1997 (age 26 years; as of 2023) in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. her zodiac sign is Taurus. In 2014, she started participating in athletic competitions. After she completed her schooling at Janta Inter College in Saharanpur, she went to Patiala, Punjab, to train professionally in athletics events. She did a Bachelor of Physical Education at Mohindra College of Punjabi University in Patiala. [1]The New Indian Express
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 55 kg
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Black
Family
She belongs to a Jat family of Kaliyar gotra in Jhabiran village, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Parents & Siblings
Her father, Jaiveer Singh, is a farmer. Her mother’s name is Rajesh. She has an elder sister, who serves in the Uttar Pradesh Police, and two younger brothers; one of them is named Pranshu Kaliyar.
Prachi Choudhary with her parents and brother
Prachi Choudhary with her sister
Husband
She is unmarried.
Career
Athlete
In 2018, she clocked 52.96 seconds at the Guwahati Inter State Championships in Guwahati, Assam. Since 2019, Prachi’s performances in the 400m race have consistently stayed above the 54-second mark. In 2019, her season-best time was 54.49 seconds. By 2022, her best time increased to 55.64 seconds. Prachi’s performance has remained steady throughout the year, with four 400m races completed in under 55 seconds. In the 2023 Indian Championships in Bhubaneshwar, Prachi completed the 400m race in just 53.65 seconds. In this race, the quarter-miler secured the third-best time. In June 2023, she stood second at the 62nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. In 2023, she clocked 52.40 seconds, her personal best, at the All-India Railway Athletics Championships 2023 in Raebareli and broke Rosakutty’s record of 52.54 set in 1998. She secured a Gold medal at the All-India Railway Athletics Championships. Prachi was a member of the Indian women’s 4 × 400m relay team, which included Vithya Ramraj, Subha Venkatesan, and Aishwarya Kailash Mishra, and the team won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Indian Railways
In 2019, she started working at the Indian Railways in Patiala. In an interview, she revealed that after working for 8 hours in her daily job, she used to practice for the 2022 Asian Games.
Medals
- 2018: Silver medal in 400m at 58th National Open Athletics Championships
- 2019: Silver medal at the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships in Doha
- 2019: Gold medal in 400m at the 14th International Railway Athletics Championship in Czech Republic
Prachi Choudhary after winning the Gold medal at the 14th International Railway Athletics Championship
- 2019: Gold medal in 4 × 100m relay at the 14th International Railway Athletics Championship in Czech Republic
- 2019: Silver medal in 800m at the 14th International Railway Athletics Championship in Czech Republic
- 2023: Silver medal at the 62nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships
Prachi Choudhary after winning the Silver medal at the 62nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships
- 2023: Silver medal as part of the Indian women’s 4 × 400m relay team along with Vithya Ramraj, Subha Venkatesan, and Aishwarya Kailash Mishra at the 2022 Asian Games
Indian women’s team after winning Silver in the 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games
Controversies
Excluded from Asian Games 2018
In 2018, Prachi Choudhary was excluded from the squad for the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) as she was not a part of the national camp. AFI alleged that she was called to the national camp; however, she denied it. [2]The New Indian Express Later, she went to the Supreme Court of India against AFI for her exclusion; however, she lost her appeal in the Supreme Court when AFI discussed its selection policy with the Apex Court. [3]The Times of India In an interview, while talking about the matter after the long injury lay-off, she said,
I am completely fit now. But I did not take part in any events in 2017. My target is to get back into the camp so that I can concentrate on major events. Tokyo is the target without a doubt. But there are new participants coming up and nothing is certain.”
Suspended After Failed Dope Test
On 30 December 2019, she was tested after a competition by the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) dope control officers (DCOs) at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports Centre in Patiala. She tested positive for an anabolic steroid known as Oxandrolone metabolite and was subsequently placed under provisional suspension by NADA. She was provisionally suspended pending a hearing by the disciplinary panel, and she was deemed ineligible for a four-year period due to the presence of a non-specified substance in her sample. [4]The Times of India In December 2021, the Anti-Doping Appeals Panel (ADAP) reduced her punishment by concluding that the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) committed was unintentional because the source of the prohibited performance-enhancing drug in her body couldn’t be traced. ADAP reduced Prachi’s period of ineligibility from four years to two, which made her eligible to return to competitions on 30 December 2021. This allowed her to participate in qualifying tournaments for the Commonwealth and Asian Games, as well as other national and international meets. [5]The Times of India In an interview, while talking about her reduced punishment, she said,
It’s a big day for me as I have been cleared of doping which I had never committed. I have thought about doping in my life. Whatever I am today is because of my work and commitment.”
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, while talking about her family’s financial condition, she revealed that there were many times when she had to run wearing torn shoes. Her father used to borrow money from others to purchase spike shoes for her and take care of her diet. [6]Amar Ujala
- In a 2018 interview, she shared that regardless of being one of the top middle-distance runners in the country, no one offered her a job. In an interview, a high-ranking Indian railway officer replied to her by saying,
If she wants a job, she should approach us. If her profile matches our requirements, we will definitely hire her. We all know what a talented athlete she is.” [7]The New Indian Express
References
