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Athletes

Ram Baboo (Athlete) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth20 March 1999

Age24 Years

BirthplaceBahuara village, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India

ProfessionAthlete

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Chhote Lal; Mother - Meena Devi; three sisters

Ram Baboo (Athlete) Biography

Indian racewalker Ram Baboo rose from humble beginnings in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh to win national titles and a bronze at the Asian Games. A former long‑d

Early life and background

Ram Baboo was born on 20 March 1999 in Bahuara village in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh. He grew up in a family with limited financial means; his father, Chhote Lal, worked as a manual labourer and his mother, Meena Devi, is a homemaker. He has three sisters, two of whom are married, and the youngest sibling is named Suman.

As a schoolboy at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Sonbhadra, Baboo was more drawn to sports than to academics. Watching the 2012 Olympic performances of Indian athletes encouraged him to pursue sport as a career. After completing his 12th standard, he transitioned to professional athletics and began as a marathon runner, competing in distances such as 5000 m and 10000 m.

Career

Knee problems prompted a switch from marathon running to racewalking on the advice of a local coach, Pramod Yadav. He started focused racewalking training around 2017 in Varanasi under coach Chandrabahan Yadav. Financial pressures during this period led him to work as a hotel waiter while training; he later left Varanasi and continued his athletic development elsewhere.

In 2019 Baboo began training at SAI Bhopal and took part in the 50 km race walk at the 6th National Open Race Walking Championship in Chennai. He placed fourth in the 50 km event at the 7th National Race Walking Championship in Ranchi in February 2020.

The COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 forced him to return home; he and his family briefly worked under the MGNREGA scheme to cover expenses before he resumed training at SAI Bhopal. In February 2021 he won silver in the 50 km race walk at the 8th National Race Walk Championships in Ranchi. That result, and support from coach Basant Rana, helped him secure a place at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.

When World Athletics removed the 50 km distance from its programme, Baboo moved to the 35 km race walk. He claimed gold and set a national record of 2:46:30 in the 35 km at the 60th National Open Athletics Championship in Warangal in September 2021. He followed that in 2022 with a runner‑up finish at the 9th National Race Walk Championships and then bettered his own mark twice: first clocking 2:39:05 to win gold at the 61st National Open Athletics Championship in Bengaluru, and then recording 2:36:34 at the 36th National Games in Gujarat, where he again took gold.

After his National Games success Baboo earned a place in the Indian Army and was appointed to the rank of havildar despite being slightly above the usual age threshold. He continued improving his times in 2023, lowering the national record multiple times—running 2:32:36 at the 10th National Race Walk Championships and later 2:29:56 to finish fifth in the 35 km at the Dudinska 50.

Under coach Tatiana Sibileva, Baboo was selected for the Indian contingent at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Competing in the inaugural 35 km mixed team race with teammate Manju Rani, their combined time of 5:51:14 secured a bronze medal for India.

Public profile

Baboo’s journey from working as a waiter and taking MGNREGA labour to national champion and Asian Games medallist attracted wide attention. His story prompted public appreciation from figures such as Anand Mahindra, who offered support to Baboo’s family after the Asian Games.

Personal and physical details

Ram Baboo is listed at approximately 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) tall and around 60 kg. He has black hair and black eyes. He attended Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University in Faizabad for higher education. His coaches over the years include Basant Rana and Tatiana Sibileva.

Latest updates

By late 2023 Baboo indicated a plan to move down to the 20 km race walk for the next season, citing the variable nature of mixed team events and the influence of combined team performance on medal outcomes.

Awards and notable results

Across national competitions he collected multiple medals: silver in the 50 km at the 8th National Race Walk Championships (2021); gold in the 35 km at the 60th and 61st National Open Athletics Championships (2021 and 2022); gold in the 35 km at the 36th National Games (2022); gold at the 10th National Race Walk Championships (2023); and a bronze in the 35 km mixed team event at the 19th Asian Games (2023). He has repeatedly lowered the national record in the 35 km discipline between 2021 and 2023.
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Recent Work

35 km race walk, Dudinska 50

Finished 5th with a national record time of 2:29:56 (2023)

2023
35 km race walk, 19th Asian Games (mixed team)

Bronze medal with teammate Manju Rani (combined time 5:51:14)

2023
35 km race walk, 10th National Race Walk Championships

Set time of 2:32:36 (2023)

2023
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Career Highlights

  1. Bronze medal in 35 km mixed team event at the 19th Asian Games (2023)
  2. Multiple national titles and successive national records in the 35 km race walk (2021–2023)
  3. Silver in 50 km race walk at the 8th National Race Walk Championships (2021)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ram Baboo (Athlete) born?

20 March 1999

What is Ram Baboo (Athlete) known for?

Athlete

What is Ram Baboo (Athlete)’s marital status?

Unmarried