Men's 4x400m team fancies its chances after sub 3-minute show at Worlds
After being in the shadow of the high-flying women's 4x400m relay squad for years, the Indian men are now in the spotlight after their stunning performance in the World Athletics Championships which makes them one of the favourites for gold at the Asian Games.
The 4x400m squad comprising Mohammed Anas, Amoj Jacob, Mohammed Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh scorched the track in Budapest to finish second in the heat behind USA, clocking 2 minutes, 59.05 seconds to become the first Indian quartet to dip under three minutes. They did another sub-three minute show (2:59.92s) in the final that fetched them the fifth place.
The heats' time has lifted India to the eighth spot in the season's best list with Japan (3:00.39) and Sri Lanka (3:01.56) in close contention for a podium finish. Also in the fray will be Qatar and Iraq who occupy the fourth and fifth spots in Asia.
"We will face a strong threat for the gold from Japan, who have two runners doing sub-45. We don't have any sub-45 runners but all the four are excellent relay runners. Ajmal with a best of 45.36 seconds is our fastest runner," deputy chief coach Rajmohan MK told TOI.
"Both Amoj and Anas are experienced runners but Amoj is the key runner for us. Even in the Worlds, he was the one who put us in control. They are in the first two laps while Ajmal and Rajesh will carry forward the momentum for a strong finish."
Of the silver-winning team from the last Asiad in Jakarta, only Anas remains in the team. Anas, who won a gold in mixed relay and two silver in Jakarta, credited Jamaican coach Jason Dawson for the team's improvement. "His experience and inputs played a key role. His new training methods and tips on how to get ready to face a championship race were of big help," said Anas.
