Members of the national men's longer relay and mixed 4x100m relay teams expressed their enthusiasm after enhancing their global rankings during the Road to Gaborone26 event at Chandigarh's Sector 7 Sports Complex.
Scheduled for May 2 and 3 in Gaborone, Botswana, the World Athletics Relays saw a setback for the men's 4x100m relay team, which faced disqualification in the heats, as reported in a press release. The International Invitational Relay Competition and the National Open Relay Competition took place in Chandigarh on Saturday.
The 4x400m relay team, comprising Manu TS, Amoj Jacob, D Chaudhary, and Rajesh Ramesh, clinched gold with a remarkable time of 3:01.43 seconds, improving their global standing.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) entered two teams in the mixed 4x100m relay, both of which performed exceptionally well, according to chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair.
The National B mixed 4x100m relay team set a new national record by finishing first with a time of 42.30 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 43.44 seconds established by Tamil Nadu in 2025. India A secured second place with a time of 42.34 seconds, while Maldives took third with 44.53 seconds.
Despite the successes, Animesh Kujur, an international sprinter and national record holder, expressed his disappointment at missing the opportunity to compete in Botswana.
"The Chandigarh competition was our last chance to enhance our world ranking before the April 5 deadline, but we fell short," Kujur lamented, being a member of the national 4x100m relay team.
The national mixed 4x400m relay and women's 4x100m relay teams are also strong contenders for the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone.
The national women's 4x100m relay team recorded a time of 43.86 seconds at the 2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships, currently holding the 23rd position in the world rankings. The mixed 4x400m relay team stands at 22nd place with a performance of 3:14.81 at the World Relays in China.
"The final rankings for nations eligible to compete in Botswana will be announced by World Athletics after April 5, 2026," the chief athletics coach noted.
4x100m relay: Odisha (Abhinash Sahu, D Jayaram, Mahendra Santa, Lalu Prasad Bhoi) 40.47 seconds, Tamil Nadu 40.51 seconds, Jharkhand 41.10 seconds.
4x400m relay: India (Manu TS, Amoj Jacob, D Chaudhary, Rajesh Ramesh) 3:01.43 seconds, Sri Lanka 3:02.16 seconds, Tamil Nadu 3:07.59 seconds.
4x100m relay: Tamil Nadu 41.58 seconds, Karnataka 42.03 seconds, Odisha 42.08 seconds.
4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:12.89 seconds, Punjab 3:13.41 seconds, Karnataka 3:17.26 seconds.
4x100m relay: India (Nithya Gandhe, Dhaneswari AT, Sudeshna S, Tamanna) 44.18 seconds, Reliance 45.52 seconds, Tamil Nadu 46.78 seconds.
4x400m relay: India (Vithya Ramraj, MR Poovamma, Rashdeep Kaur, Vijayakumari GK) 3:32.81 seconds, Sri Lanka (M Harshani, B Lakshima Mendis, MHJ Uththara, A Shenari W) 3:36.94 seconds, JSW (Swathi Rongali, Priya Mohan, Mugada, Prachi) 3:42.28 seconds.
4x100 relay: Tamil Nadu 48.38 seconds, Gujarat 49.60 seconds, Karnataka 50.13 seconds.
4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:46.73 seconds, Punjab 3:53.75 seconds, Karnataka 4:16.77 seconds.
4x100m relay: India B (Lalu Prasad Bhoi, Unnathi Bollanda, D Jayaram, Harita Bhandra) 42.30 seconds, India A (Gurindervir Singh, Sudeshna Shivanka, Tamil Arasu S, Tamanna) 42.34 seconds, Maldives (A Rayyaan Fahumee, Ahnaa Nizaar, Hassan Saaid, Ziva Moosa Shafeeu) 44.53 seconds.
4x400m relay: India A (Vishal TK, Ansa Babu, Nihal Joel, K Saloni Nagar) 3:18.90 seconds, Sri Lanka (K Idupa Silva, A Shenari W, S Aruna Dharshana, M Harshani Fernan) 3:19.58 seconds, JSW (Mijo Kurian, Priya Mohan, Subhas Das, Prachi) 3:23.56 seconds.
4x100m relay: Chandigarh 45.44 seconds, Karnataka 45.69 seconds, Punjab 45.92 seconds.
4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:30.88 seconds, Punjab 3:32.54 seconds, Gujarat 3:43.76 seconds.
