Know Your Athletes: Who are part of India's 4x400 men's relay team at Paris Olympics 2024?

Published at :August 5, 2024 at 3:54 PM

Modified at :August 21, 2024 at 6:02 PM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

The team broke the national record at the World Championships by clocking 2:59:05.

The Indian 4×400 men’s relay team are set to compete on August 9 at the Paris Olympics 2024. The squad carries high hopes for a strong performance.

The team consists of five talented quarter-milers: Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal, Muhammad Anas, Rajesh Ramesh and Santhosh Kumar. They’ve already made their mark on the international stage, finishing an impressive fifth at the 2023 World Championships with a time of 2:59.92.

This success follows their ninth-placed finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where they set a new Asian record of 3:00.25. While they narrowly missed the finals in Tokyo, the team are determined to improve their standing in Paris.

Recent achievements have boosted their confidence. The squad claimed gold at the Asian Games, India’s first in this event since 1962. They’ve also broken the three-minute barrier, setting an Asian record of 2:59.05 during World Championship qualification.

The men’s team qualified for the Olympics after finishing in the top 14 at the World Athletics Relay 2024 held in the Bahamas.

Let’s look at each of the five athletes:

Amoj Jacob

The 26-year-old was born in Kochi, Kerala and currently represents Delhi at the Nationals. He was part of the quartet that created the national record at the Tokyo Olympics as well as history at the World Championships and Asian Games. He has been part of the relay team for long and is the man whom we can depend on, as he always gives his best in the relay.

In 2021, Jacob won the gold medal in the 400m individual event at the Federation Cup. His personal best is 45.68s. This year his best performance is 46:00s, which is not an Olympic standard, but Amoj is capable of performing exceptionally well in the relay event and he has done it in the past.

Muhammad Ajmal

The 26-year-old was born in Palakkad, Kerala. He started his sports career in football and then shifted his base to athletics. He has done well on the national circuit. He is also a two-time national champion. He was also part of the team that created the national record at the Tokyo Olympics as well as history at the World Championships and Asian Games.

His personal best is 45:36 seconds which he achieved last year in Thailand. This year he already ran a sub-46, clocking 45.69s in Poland, just before the Paris Olympics. He finished fifth at the 2022 Asian Games.

Rajesh Ramesh

The 25-year-old hails from Peralam, Tamil Nadu. He started his athletics journey from childhood. He wasn’t part of the team at the Tokyo Olympics, but was in the team at the World Championships and Asian Games. He ran the last leg in both competitions.

However, he was injured this year and also couldn’t finish the relay race at the World Athletics Relay and pulled out in between, as he suffered a cramp. The injury was a concern and it could have impacted India’s chances in Paris. However, he shut every question after he clocked 45.54s and finished first in Poland just before the Olympics.

Muhammad Anas

The Indian national record-holder in 400m who clocked 45.21s in 2019 at Kladno Athletics Meet in Czechia will also be in the team. The 29-year-old is the most experienced athlete in the Indian team and was with the team at the Tokyo Olympics, World Championships and Asian Games.

He also won the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games. His season best is 45:76s, which he ran in Panchkula in June. He mostly runs the opening leg and would like to give India a good start at Paris 2024. He also qualified for the 2016 Olympics in the men’s 400 individual event, becoming the third athlete to qualify from India in this event after Milkha Singh and KM Binu.

Santhosh Kumar

The 26-year-old was born in Tamil Nadu and his primary event is the 400m hurdles, but he also participated in the 400m. His personal best is 46.02s, which he achieved in Panchkula this year in June.

He finished sixth at the Asian Games in the men’s 400m hurdles. The 26-year-old will be making his debut and if given a chance will look to do well at the Olympics.

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