Paris Olympics: Indian men's and women's 4X400m relay team eliminated in qualifiers

Paris (France), Aug 9 (IANS) India’s athletics campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics came to a disappointing end as the men’s and women’s 4X400m relay teams failed to make it to the final rounds at the Stade de France on Friday.

The men’s team consisting of Muhammed Anas, Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, Amoj Jacob and Rajesh Ramesh finished fourth in the second heat of Round 1 with a time of 3:00.08 which was their season best.

Despite the top finish, India was not able to crack into the top eight across the two heats which saw them eliminated. Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, who ran the second leg for the Indians, recorded the team’s fastest time with 44:55 on the clock.

Team Botswana in the first heat recorded the fastest time across the circuit with 2:57.76 with Great Britain and the United States of America being the second and third fastest respectively. France was the fastest team in Heat 2 with a time of 2:59.53 on the clock which was the fourth fastest overall.

The women’s team on the other hand consisting of Vithya Ramraj, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Machettira Raju Poovamma and Subha Venkatesan finished last in Heat 2 with a time of 3:32.51 which saw them placed second to last across the two heats ahead of only Cuba who had a time of 3:33.99.

Team USA topped the rankings with a season’s best of 3:21:44.

Neeraj Chopra, the winner of the silver medal in Javelin, was the only medal winner for the country in Athletics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.