Chandigarh, March 28: The Indian relay teams qualified for the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, in May, with record-breaking performances by India B in the men's 4x400 and mixed team 4x100 relay competitions at the 1st International Invitational Relay / 3rd National Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh on Saturday.
The India B quartet clocked an impressive 42.30 seconds to win gold and break the previous record of 43.44 seconds, while India A secured silver at 42.34 seconds, both qualifying for the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, in May.
The two teams, featuring athletes like Gurindervir Singh and Tamilarasu, displayed seamless baton passes and explosive speed, which delighted the crowd. The Indian teams competed against Nepal, the Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka in the 1st International Invitational Relay.
India A won the senior mixed 4x400m gold over Sri Lanka in 3:18.90, while youth squads from Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh added more victories in the competition, which highlighted the nation's relay surge.
India's 4x100m mixed relay team clocked 42.30 seconds to set a new National Record at the National Open Relay 2026. The quartet of Lalu Prasad, Unnathi, Harita, and Jayaram executed perfect baton exchanges, demonstrated explosive speed, and achieved a historic finish.
In the junior section, Tamil Nadu women dominated the U20 Women's 4x100m relay, clocking 48.38 seconds, while Chandigarh clocked 45.44 seconds to win the U20 4x100 Mixed Relay.
The competition in Botswana will be held in six relay events – 4x100m (men and women), 4x400m (men and women), and mixed relay (4x100m and 4x400m), the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said in a statement on Friday.
According to World Athletics guidelines, the qualification period started on January 1, 2025, and will end on April 5, 2026. Teams within the top 24 World Rankings on the Road to Gaborone will be eligible to compete in Botswana.
Chief national athletics coach, Radhakrishnan Nair, had expressed confidence in a good performance on Saturday, and the teams lived up to that. "We are hopeful that the other four national relay teams will be successful in achieving the target time to board the flight to Botswana," Nair added.