India's men's and women's relay squads both took home silver medals at the debut Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok. The women's team, composed of Vithya Ramraj, M R Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary, and Rupal Chaudhary, finished in 3:33.55, trailing only the gold-winning Vietnamese team (3:30.81). The race took place under stormy conditions at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, with Japan claiming third place (3:35.45). Regardless of the result here, both Indian teams have already punched their tickets to the Paris Olympics.
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.
The women's lineup for this event differed slightly from the one that secured Olympic qualification in Nassau earlier this month, where Jyothika Sri Dandi and Subha Venkatesan ran with Poovamma and Rupal to hit a time of 3:29.35. Meanwhile, the men's team—Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Santosh Kumar, Mijo Chacko Kurian, and Arokia Rajiv—clocked 3:05.76 to finish second, just behind Sri Lanka's 3:04.48, with Vietnam taking third at 3:07.37. The race was a see-saw battle: Sri Lanka led initially, but India took control during the second and third legs thanks to Santosh and Chacko. Ultimately, however, Sri Lanka's anchor, Hewa Kalinga Kumarge, surged past Arokia in the final stretch to secure the gold.
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 original qualifying group that ran 3:03.23 at the World Athletics Relays to earn a spot in Paris. For that specific competition, Muhammed Anas Yahiya and Arokia Rajiv were paired with Muhammed Ajmal and Amoj Jacob.
For Monday's mixed 4x400m race, the goal was Olympic qualification, leading to a lineup of Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, Jyothika Sri Dandi, and Subha Venkatesan. As the primary choices for the mixed relay, these four athletes sat out Tuesday's gender-specific events. Although the mixed team managed to win gold and set a new national record on Monday, they unfortunately didn't meet the necessary requirements to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The mixed squad clocked a winning time of 3:14.12, beating the previous national record of 3:14.34 set during last year's Hangzhou Asian Games. This performance improves India's standing on the World Athletics 'Road to Paris' list, moving them up from 23rd to 21st place. However, since only the top 16 teams will make it to Paris, and India was aiming for 15th or 16th, the path to Olympic qualification now looks quite challenging.