Tintu Luka's brief Rio campaign ended with a sixth-place finish in the 800m heats on Wednesday, but she managed to script an Olympic record for India with a timing of 2:00.58.
Quick off the blocks, Tintu ran a rather ambitious first 400m but tired out soon, head bobbing and falling behind. Social media was soon up in arms against coach PT Usha for Tintu's 'flawed' technique and training programme. Speaking to ESPN last month, Usha had expressed concern over Tintu's pace in the final 50 metres.
The race was won by Switzerland's Selina Buchel (1:59.00). The top two from each heat earn automatic qualification for the semi-finals, with the next best eight athletes with the fastest timings joining them.
At the London Olympics, Tintu had qualified for the semi-finals before eventually finishing sixth. She had recorded her personal best of 1:59.17 in Spilt, Croatia, in 2010.