New Delhi:It was just a few seasons ago that the Indian men's 4x400m relay team attracted attention with a remarkable performance at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. India established an Asian record (2:59. 05) during the heats, competing closely with athletes from the dominant US team, and achieved an impressive fifth place in the final (2:59. 92). The quartet consisting of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, and Rajesh Ramesh continued their success by earning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games later that same year.

The Paris Olympics last year, however, did not prove to be a fruitful opportunity. A season-best time of 3:00. 58 seconds fell short of qualifying for the final. Japan reclaimed their Asian record during the final (2:58. 33 seconds).

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has since sought out new talent beyond the established group in preparation for the new Olympic cycle. At the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China (May 10-11) and at the forthcoming Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea (May 27-31), India will field a fresh and inexperienced team. The members include Dharamveer Choudhary, Rince Joseph, Tushar Kanti, Jay Kumar, Mohit Kumar, TS Manu, Santhosh Kumar, Tamilarasan, and TK Vishal. Among them, only Santhosh Kumar participated in the Paris Olympics squad.

While the revamp is a positive development, the outcomes at the recently concluded National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi were not encouraging. None of the male 400m runners managed to meet the Asian qualification standard of 45. 36 seconds. TK Vishal finished first with a time of 46. 19 seconds, followed by Jay Kumar (46. 33 seconds). Amoj, who was part of the Asian Games winning team, also competed but appeared significantly out of form and did not finish in the final. He has been included in the world relay squad, but only as part of the mixed team.

Following such performances, AFI was unable to select anyone for the individual 400m event for the Asian Championships.

“The relay team is being sent for both competitions, but there’s a long way to go. The timings need to improve. With some new faces, it may take time to rebuild the team,” stated an official.

The world relays serve as the qualifying event for the world championships in September, and it will be quite challenging for the Indian team to secure a spot for Tokyo (16 teams will qualify).

Earlier this year, AFI was caught off guard when some members of the established squad declined to train with Jamaican coach Jason Dawson, under whom the team had made significant progress. AFI stood firm and continued to support Dawson. The relay camp has been ongoing at the National Centre of Excellence in Thiruvananthapuram. The federation announced that only those participating in the camp would be selected for relay teams at international events.

“There were a few (athletes) who were unwilling to train with the foreign coach as they believed the training was excessively tough,” AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla had stated. “If you do not engage in rigorous training, winning medals at the Olympics is impossible. You must compete in three races at the Olympics. We are very explicit that anyone wishing to join the camp is welcome. Those who do not will not be included in the relay teams,” he had mentioned.

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