The 24 years old from Himachal Pradesh has been based out of Colorado Springs to prepare for 2025 season but her domestic performance wasn’t encouraging in Kochi

Seema is one of the elite Indian female distance runners. The 24 years old international runner from Himachal Pradesh has been based out of Colorado Springs to prepare for the 2025 season. At the May 27 to 31 Asian Athletics Championships, she will compete in the women’s 10,000m.

She had mixed luck in the build up competitions she competed in the last three months, but the 24 years old is hopeful of a good show in the continental competition in Gumi, South Korea.

At the just concluded 28th National Senior Federation Athletics Championships in Kochi, Kerala, she couldn’t repeat her personal best in both 10,000m and 5,000m track races. “I was a bit unwell. My legs were tired after the first half of the 25-lap race,” Seema said after finishing second behind Sanjivani Jadhav in the 10,000m race in Kochi.

Seema’s performance in Kochi, the last qualification domestic event for the Asian meet, wasn’t encouraging.

Seema’s silver medal winning time of 16:17.07 in the women’s 5,000m was slower than the Asian qualification time of 16:03.33.

Seema finished second in the women’s 10,000m. Her time was 34: 55.92 seconds, which was more than 60 seconds slower than the Asian qualification time of 33:24.79. However, on the basis of her March performance (32:14.66 seconds) in California she was selected in the women’s 10,000m for the continental meet in South Korea.

Seema was hopeful of a good show at the continental level. “The weather will be conducive for distance runners in South Korea. I should be able to improve my season best,” Seema added.

Earlier in March during a 10,000m track race in California, USA, she had clocked 32:14.66., a season best. Her personal best for 10,000m is 32:07.67 clocked in 2024 at the same venue in California.

Seema’s season and personal best over 5,000m clocked in February this year was 15:39.26.

However, on the Indian domestic circuit her unsteady performance graph has denied her chance to qualify for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.

Seema’s performance graph as per World Athletics website, suggests that she has performed better on the US circuit and was unable to repeat the same on the Indian soil. She missed the qualification criteria in the past and couldn’t compete either at Asian Games or Asian championships. She even failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

After winning silver in the Youth Asian meet in 3,000m in 2018, it will be first time Seema will represent India at the senior continental competition at the end of May.

Seema is currently training in Bengaluru. Kalyan Chaudhari is overseeing her training. According to Seema’s coach in Bengaluru she should be able to improve her personal best in the 10,000m. “Her (Seema) Tuesday workout was good. I’m hopeful that she will perform up to her potential in Gumi,” Chaudhari said. “She couldn’t repeat her March performance in April in Kerala due to change in local weather conditions.”