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India endured a disappointing outing at the World Athletics Relays 2026 in Gaborone, with none of its five teams managing to secure qualification for the 2027 World Championships, according to Olympics.com.
However, there was a silver lining as the mixed 4x100m relay team created a new national record on Sunday. After missing out on qualification in the first round on Saturday, Indian teams needed a top-two finish in their respective heats on Sunday to qualify directly for the World Championships in Beijing. The mixed 4x100m quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha Sathyanarayana Shanuvalli clocked 41.35 seconds, finishing sixth in their heat but setting a new national benchmark in the process. The previous record of 42.30 seconds had been set earlier this year in Chandigarh. In the mixed 4x400m relay, a second-string Indian team comprising Theerthesh P. Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William, and Rashdeep Kaur finished fifth in their heat with a timing of 3:19.40. Olympians Amoj Jacob and Ansa Babu, who had featured on Saturday, were rested for this race. Jacob did return for the men's 4x400m event alongside Dharmveer Choudhary, Rajesh Ramesh, and Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi, but the team failed to complete the race after he suffered cramps, resulting in a Did Not Finish (DNF). Meanwhile, the women's 4x100m team of Tamanna, Nithya Gandhe, Sudeshna Shivankar, and Sneha Sathyanarayana Shanuvalli clocked 53.90 seconds to finish last in their heat. The men's 4x100m team also had a setback, getting disqualified following a baton drop during a changeover. Earlier, on the opening day, four Indian teams had finished outside qualification spots despite recording season-best timings. (ANI)
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