AFI tests 400m runners to select Olympic relay team

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) conducted quartermillers training trials at the national camp at the NIS here on Sunday to select mixed 4x400m and men’s 4x400m relay teams for the Tokyo Olympics.

With 15 athletes in individual events, two relay teams also qualified for the Olympics, but the AFI faced a difficult situation because of the poor performance of the Camper Quartermillers during the recent National Inter-State Championships.

The AFI has a stated policy that only national campers will be selected for relay teams.

The women’s 400m race in the National Inter-State Championships was won by Karnataka’s Priya Mohan (53.29 seconds), who is a non-tourist.

Jisna Mathew, who competed in the 2019 World Championships 4×400m mixed relay, from which India qualified for the Olympics, finished seventh with a time of 54.74.

VK Vismaya, who was the second female runner in the 2019 World Championships 4×400m mixed relay team, could not even qualify for the final as she finished third in one of the three heats with a poor performance of 55.33.

In Sunday’s trials, Revathi, who finished third in the National Inter-State Championships, finished first in 53.55 seconds, followed by Subha Venkatesan (54.26), S Dhanalakshmi (54.27), Mathew (54.31) and Vismay (55.34).

Dhanalakshmi won the 100m gold medal in the National Inter-State Championships. She doesn’t usually run in 400 metres.

In the men’s trial, Sarthak Bhambri was first with 47.73, followed by Alex Anthony (47.83) and Nagnath (48.24).

India can select six athletes for the men’s 4x400m relay. Five names will be submitted and one can be selected as an alternate runner up.

In the 4×400 m mixed relay, a country can register two men and two women and take two (one man and one woman) runners as substitutes.