New Delhi: Olympics-bound Lalita Babar on Friday smashed her own national record to win the gold, while Sudha Singh qualified for the Rio Games, while winning the silver medal in women's 3000m steeplechase, on the second and penultimate day of the Federation Cup National Athletics Championships here.

Rajiv Arokiya set the second national record of the day, while winning the gold in the men's 400m race with a time of 45.47secs. But he missed the Rio Olympics qualification standard of 45.40secs by 0.7secs at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Sudha's was the first Olympic qualifying effort in the championships. Two national records were created on Thursday, the first day of the meet, with Dutee Chand (women's 100m) and Amiya Kumar Mallick (men's 100m), both from Odisha, clocking 11.33secs and 10.26secs respectively, though both could not make the Rio cut.

Maharashtra's Babar, who has already qualified for the Olympics in both the 3000m steeplechase and the marathon, clocked 9:27.09 to win the gold and set the national record in world leading time while Sudha, representing Uttar Pradesh, came up with a timing of 9:31.86 and bettered the Rio Games qualification standard of 9:45.00.

The performance of Asian champion Babar, who finished eighth in the 3000m steeplechase in the World Championships last year, was also remarkable, as she recorded the world leading time though it is very early in the season.

Sudha also qualified for the Olympics in the marathon, but Athletics Federation of Indian officials said both she and Babar would compete only in the 3000m steeplechase in Rio as they had a better chance in that event than in the marathon. For Sudha, it was a make-or-break race to make it to the Rio Games, and emotion took over her as she expressed relief.

"There was pressure on me as it was my make or break race. I want to compete in 3000m steeplechase in Olympics but since I was not competing in this event since 2014 Asian Games, I am not getting any events outside the country. So I have no chance to qualify for Rio in 3000m steeplechase except running in domestic meets," she told reporters after the race. (PTI)