India endured a forgettable outing at the World Athletics Relays, with injuries and Did Not Finish (DNF) results derailing their campaign on the second day of competition on Sunday.
The biggest blow came in the men’s 4x400m relay, where India’s hopes of securing direct qualification for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing came crashing down. Amoj Jacob suffered cramps during the race and was forced to pull out after receiving the baton from first-leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary, resulting in a DNF for the team. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were scheduled to run the final two legs.
Having failed to qualify for the finals on Saturday, India were competing in the second qualification round on Sunday, where the top two teams from each heat were to seal their spots for the World Championships. The missed opportunity means India must now rely on the World Athletics Top Lists route, a far more uncertain and prolonged path to qualification.
BATON FALLS IN MEN’S 4×100
The setbacks continued in the men’s 4x100m relay, where a lack of coordination proved costly. Third-leg runner Ragul Kumar fell on the track while attempting to hand over the baton to Gurindervir Singh, leading to a disqualification. Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur had run the opening two legs. Kumar, who appeared to be in discomfort, had to be assisted off the track by volunteers.
India’s struggles with baton exchanges were further highlighted in the women’s 4x100m event. A fumbled exchange between Tamanna and Nithya Gandhe saw the baton dropped, forcing Gandhe to turn back and retrieve it after initially sprinting ahead. The team eventually finished with a time of 53.09 seconds in what turned out to be a chaotic run.
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Amid the disappointment, there was a minor positive for the Indian contingent. The mixed 4x100m relay team of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS set a new national record of 41.35 seconds, improving on the previous mark of 42.30 seconds set earlier this year. However, they could only finish sixth in their heat.
The mixed 4x400m relay team also fell short, with Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur finishing fifth in their heat with a time of 3:19.40.
India’s campaign had already taken a hit on Saturday, when all five relay teams failed to reach their respective finals, thereby missing out on direct qualification for the 2027 World Championships. Sunday’s events only compounded the disappointment, as injuries and errors brought an underwhelming end to their campaign.
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