India’s 4×400 mixed relay squad clinched Gold at the inaugural Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday, May 20th. Muhammed Ajmal, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Amol Jacob, and Subha Venkatesan comprised the winning quartet, setting a new national record in the process.
Despite their victory, the Indian 4x400m mixed relay team fell short of securing qualification for the Paris Olympics in Bangkok. The team finished with a time of 3:14.12s, surpassing their previous record of 3:14.34s achieved during the Hangzhou Asian Games, where they won silver.
This timing places India in the 21st position on the Road to Paris list of World Athletics, whereas their target was to rank 15th or 16th.
Teams aiming to qualify for the Paris Olympics must achieve specific time standards: 38.19s for the men’s 4 x 100m, 2:58.45s for the men’s 4 x 400m, 42.85s for the women’s 4 x 100m, 3:26.08s for the women’s 4 x 400m, and 3:11.98s for the Mixed 4 x 400m relay races, as stated by Asian Athletics.
It’s worth noting that India’s men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams secured qualification for the Paris Olympics during the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas earlier this May.
The qualification period for all track and field events, including marathons and race walks, concludes on June 30. The Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11.
