Mixed 4x400m relay: Record-breaking at Asian Championships run not enough for Paris Olympics ticket

Even though the Indian mixed 4x400m team ran a 3:14.12s race to set a new national record and bag the gold at the Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok on Monday, the quartet of Muhammed Ajmal, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Amoj Jacob and Subha Venkatesan weren’t too elated. The reason was obvious – failure to run below Italy’s 3.13.56s that would have given India the 16th spot on the rankings for the Road to Paris. Sri Lanka finished behind the Indians, clocking 3:17.00 while Vietnam (3:18.45) finished third.

India has already booked Olympic spots in the men’s and women’s 400m at the World Relay Championships in Bahamas, and are still not out of the reckoning in the mixed category either. With 14 spots already sealed in the Bahamas, two spots remain with Italy in 16th place.

After the Bangkok race, the mixed relay team moved up to the 21st spot from 23rd. “We have broken the national record but are not satisfied since our target was Paris qualification. You must have noticed that even after the win, the athletes didn’t seem that happy,” Premanand Jayakumar, the assistant coach for the men’s team, said.

The mixed relay team was confident of usurping Italy’s spot in the Road to Paris rankings but now find themselves in a tight spot with the qualification window closing on June 30. The coaching staff and Athletics Federation of India will now have to assess the future course of action.

“Had we qualified in the Bahamas itself, we wouldn’t be under so much pressure now. We need a few more competitions now, we will discuss with the federation and see if we can take part in more international meets,” says Jayakumar, who believes the team is capable of running 3:13.43s.

Even though it was a disappointing day for the team, the significance of a national record cannot be undermined. The current team, whose core has been largely unchanged, rewrote the national mark first at the Asian Championships in July 2023, clocking 3:14.70s. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, they improved upon the record, clocking 3:14.34s. Ajmal and Subha were part of that squad.

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“The team overall is in good shape and they execute plans well. That’s why we were able to break the national record three times in 12 months. Individually, there are a lot of grey areas but I can’t pinpoint anything right now. We will sit and analyse today’s race first,” says Jayakumar.

The Indians will also compete in the men’s and women’s 400m relays in Bangkok. Having already qualified for Paris in these events, the team will not push too hard as they would like to avoid any injuries. In the Bahamas, Rajesh Ramesh had to pull out mid-race due to cramps in the fourth heat.

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