Despite a valiant effort, the Indian men’s 4x400m relay team narrowly missed securing a spot in the final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Competing in the second heat at the iconic Stade de France, the quartet of Muhammed Anas, Rajesh Ramesh, Amoj Jacob, and Muhammed Ajmal clocked their season’s best time of 3:00.58.
However, this was just 0.32 seconds short of the qualifying time of 3:00.26 set by Italy, who claimed the final spot in the top eight.
The heat featured some formidable competition, including teams from Belgium, France, and Nigeria. Ultimately, India finished fourth in their heat, placing them 10th in the overall standings.
The top three teams from each heat, along with the next two fastest teams, advanced to the final.
Italy secured the third spot in the second heat, edging out the Indian team by a narrow margin. Germany also outpaced India in the overall standings, trailing Italy by just 0.03 seconds.
Interestingly, the same Indian relay team had previously set a national and Asian record of 2:59.05 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
If they had matched that performance, they would have easily made it to the finals in Paris. The second heat saw France taking first place with a time of 2:59.53, followed by Nigeria at 2:59.81.
However, Nigeria was later disqualified, allowing South Africa to advance, making the final a nine-team race. Belgium secured the second position with a timing of 2:59.84.
Botswana, the bronze medalists from Tokyo 2020, topped the overall heats with an impressive time of 2:57.76.
Muhammed Ajmal, running the second leg for India, recorded the fastest split among his teammates at 44.55 seconds.
On the women’s side, the Indian 4x400m relay team comprising Jyothika Sri Dandi, MR Poovamma, Vithya Ramraj, and Subha Venkatesan, finished eighth in their heat with a time of 3:32.51, placing them 15th overall.
This time was nearly six seconds off the Indian national record of 3:26.89, set at the Athens 2004 Olympics. Jyothika Sri Dandi delivered the best performance among the Indian women, clocking 51.30 seconds in her leg.
In the second heat, Jamaica, the bronze medalists from Tokyo 2020, set the fastest time at 3:24.92, ahead of the Netherlands and Ireland. Defending champions USA topped the overall heats with a time of 3:21.44.
With these results, India’s athletics campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics concluded, leaving a trail of near misses but also highlighting the immense potential of the nation’s athletes on the world stage.