The national men’s longer relay and mixed 4x100m relay squad members in Chandigarh’s Sector 7 Sports Complex improved their global rankings on the Road to Gaborone26. The World Athletics Relays are scheduled for May 2 and 3 in Gaborone, Botswana. However, the men’s 4x100m relay team faced disqualification in the heats during the International Invitational Relay Competition and National Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh.
Manu TS, Amoj Jacob, D Chaudhary, and Rajesh Ramesh, part of the 4x400m relay team, clinched gold with a time of 3:01.43 seconds, enhancing their global ranking. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) entered two teams in the mixed 4x100m relay, both of which performed exceptionally well, as stated by chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair. The National B mixed 4x100m relay team secured gold, surpassing the national record set by Tamil Nadu in 2025.
India A finished second in the mixed 4x100m relay with a time of 42.34 seconds, while Maldives took the third spot with 44.53 seconds. Animesh Kujur, India’s international sprinter and national record holder, expressed disappointment at missing the opportunity to qualify for Botswana. The national mixed 4x400m relay and women’s 4x100m relay teams are also strong contenders for securing spots at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone.
The national women’s 4x100m relay achieved a time of 43.86 seconds at the 2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships, currently holding a world ranking of 23. The national 4x400m mixed relay holds a World Ranking of 22 based on their performance at the World Relays in China. The final rankings of nations eligible to compete in Botswana will be announced by World Athletics after April 5, 2026.
