India's 4x400m mixed relay team wins gold with new national record at Asian Relay Championships 2024

The Indian mixed 4x400m however fell short of Paris Olympics qualification mark.

On Monday, at the inaugural edition of the Asian Relay Championships 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, the Indian mixed 4x400m team consisting of Muhammed Ajmal, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Jacob and Subha Venkatesan secured the gold medal by setting a new national record.

Sri Lanka claimed the silver medal, while Vietnam secured the bronze in the mixed 4x400m event at the Asian relays.

In Bangkok, the relay quartet crossed and the finish line in first place with a timing of 3:14.12, nudging ahead of the previous national record of 3:14.34. This previous record was achieved by Ajmal, Vithya Ramraj, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha when they won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou the previous year.

Despite their impressive record-breaking performance, India’s mixed 4x400m relay team remains outside the contention for a quota spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Following their inability to secure a direct quota at the World Relays 24 in the Bahamas earlier this month, the team will now have to depend on the Road to Paris rankings to qualify.

The outcome in Bangkok will elevate India by two positions to the 21st spot in the Olympic qualification rankings. However, only securing a place within the top 16 will ensure India a berth in the event at Paris.

Also Read: Asian Relays 2024: Full schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

As of now, the Czech Republic (3:11.98) and Italy (3:13.56) occupy the 15th and 16th positions in the Road to Paris list, respectively. These positions fall below the top 14 teams who secured their Olympic qualification during the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas where India did not qualify.

The goal for the team is to surpass the time of 3:13.56 and claim the 16th spot before the qualification window closes by June 30.

On Tuesday, India will participate in both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay races on Day 2 of the Asian Relays. Both relay teams successfully qualified for Paris during the second round qualification heat race.

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