Bangkok: After the men’s and women’s teams did the country proud in the World Relays, the Indian relay teams continued to excel as the mixed 4x400m team set a new national record to win the gold medal in the inaugural Asian Relay Championships 2024 here on Monday.
The Indian relay team of Muhammed Ajmal, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Amoj Jacob, and Subha Venkatesan stopped the clock at 3:14.12 to marginally better the previous national mark of 3:14.34. The previous mark was set by Muhammed Ajmal, Vithya Ramraj, Rajesh Ramesh, and Subha to win a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. Team Sri Lanka clocked 3:17.00 to win the silver medal while Vietnam clinched the bronze with a timing of 3:18.45.
Despite the record-breaking effort, the Indian team is still not in the mix for a Paris 2024 Olympics quota in the mixed 4x400m event. Having failed to secure a direct quota from the World Relays in the Bahamas earlier this month, the Indian mixed 4x400m relay team will need to now have to depend on the Road to Paris rankings to make the cut for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
The result in Bangkok will help India move up two places to the 21st position in the Road to Paris rankings but only a spot inside the top 16 will guarantee them a berth in the event at Paris. Italy, with 3:13.56, currently occupies the 16th position in the mixed 4x400m relay Road to Paris rankings. The qualification window for the Paris 2024 Olympic relay events ends on June 30.
The Indian men’s and women’s relay teams have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics after finishing second in their respective heats in the World Relays in the Bahamas.
(IANS)
