The Indian men’s and women’s teams finished second at the inaugural Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok. Vithya Ramraj, M R Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary, and Rupal Chaudhary finished in 3 minutes 33.55 seconds, trailing the Vietnamese team, who won the gold medal by clocking 3:30.81. The event was held in the middle of thundershowers at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, and Japan won the bronze medal with a time of 3:35.45. The Indian teams have already clinched their spots in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Vithya and Prachi were not among the Indian quartet that clocked 3 minutes and 29.35 seconds to secure a quota for the Paris Olympics at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this month. Jyothika Sri Dandi and Subha Venkatesan had paired up with Poovamma and Rupal for that occasion.
The men’s quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Santosh Kumar, Mijo Chacko Kurian, and Arokia Rajiv finished second to Sri Lanka (3:04.48) with a time of 3:05.76. Vietnam finished third with 3:07.37. The Sri Lankan team led after the first leg, but Santosh gave India the lead in the second. Chacko maintained India’s lead after the third leg, but Sri Lanka’s anchor runner Hewa Kalinga Kumarge surpassed Arokia in the final stretch.

Santosh and Chacko were not part of the Indian quartet that ran 3 minutes and 3.23 seconds to secure a quota for the Paris Olympics in the World Athletics Relays earlier this month. Muhammed Ajmal and Amoj Jacob had paired up with Muhammed Anas Yahiya and Arokia Rajiv for that event.

Muhammed Ajmal and Amoj Jacob paired up with Jyothika Sri Dandi and Subha Venkatesan for Monday’s mixed 4x400m competition, with the goal of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. The quartet were the first-choice members of the mixed 4x400m team; therefore, they did not compete in the men’s or women’s relays on Tuesday. The Indian mixed 4×400 relay team won gold on Monday, setting a national record, but fell short of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

The mixed Indian quartet won the race in 3 minutes and 14.12 seconds. The previous national record of 3:14.34 was set by the Indian team while winning silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. Monday’s timing would move the Indian mixed 4x400m team to 21st place (from 23rd) in the World Athletics Road to Paris list, but the aim was to finish in the 15th or 16th rank. As a result, India faces a difficult task in qualifying for the Olympics, as only sixteen teams will compete in the mixed 4x400m relay in Paris.