Both Men's and Mixed Quartets Finish Fifth in Heats; Will Get One More Opportunity on Sunday
Guangzhou (China), May 10 — The Indian men's and mixed 4x400m relay teams fell short of securing direct qualification for the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships after finishing fifth in their respective heats on the opening day of the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou.Despite putting up season-best performances, both Indian quartets missed the automatic qualification mark, but will have another opportunity to book their spots on the concluding day of the event on Sunday.
Mixed 4x400m Team Posts Season Best, But Falls Short
The Indian mixed 4x400m team, comprising Jay Kumar, Sneha Kolleri, Dharamveer Choudhary, and Rupal Chaudhary, clocked 3:16.85 in heat 3 on a rain-drenched track. While the performance marked the season’s best for India in the category, it was still off the national record of 3:12.87.With only the top two teams from each of the three heats and the next two fastest teams advancing to the finals and securing direct berths for the World Championships (scheduled for September 13–21 in Tokyo), India’s fifth-place finish in a seven-team heat was not enough.
The Indian team will now compete again in heat 2 on Sunday alongside Botswana, Italy, Germany, Uganda, and Canada. The top three teams in each of the two repechage heats will secure qualification for Tokyo.
Men's Team Also Misses Mark Despite Strong Effort
India’s men's 4x400m relay team, featuring Jay Kumar, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan, Thekkinalil Saji Manu, Thennarasu Kayalvizhi Vishal, and Mohit Kumar, finished fifth in heat 4 with a timing of 3:03.92.Though this was the best performance of the season by the Indian men's relay squad, it was well short of the national record of 2:59.05. Like their mixed counterparts, the men’s team will also get another shot at qualifying on Sunday.
Notably, India fielded a completely fresh lineup for the men's relay, leaving out the athletes who competed at the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Qualification Format and Prize Details
The World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou feature six events: men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays, as well as mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Each country can enter one team per event, with up to eight athleteseligible per team.The top 14 teams in each of these events will earn a spot at the Tokyo World Championships. The final two places in each event will be decided based on top performances during the qualification window from February 25, 2024 to August 24, 2025.
Teams reaching the finals will also compete for prize money, with rewards ranging from USD 2,000 to USD 40,000 based on final positions.
India has entered teams only in the men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events at this edition of the World Relays.