India has started off their Athletics U20 World Championships campaign in Nairobi with a bright note. The mixed 4x400m relay team of Abdul Razzaq, Summy, Priya Mohan and Kapil sealed a direct spot in the final with a time of 3:23.36s in the heat. They will now be part of the final round which will be held later today on Wednesday, 18th of August.
They won Heat 1 with the timing of 3:23.36s and it was considered a record for the U20 championships, until the Nigerian U20 team broke their record later, in Heat 2, with a time of 3:21.66s. The Nigerian team topped the qualifying rounds, with India being second.
This was the first time 4x400m mixed relay has been introduced in the U20 championships. India won th 1st Heat to secure their berth in the final, beating the likes of the Czech Republic, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Poland to achieve a top spot in the opening heat.
As said before, India achieved second overall, with their timing. The Kenya team which came 2nd in Heat 2 were disqualified.
India has sent 27 athletes to compete in the U20 championships in Nairobi, which is being held from August 18th to August 22nd.
There has been a history of Indian medal winners in this competition. Neeraj Chopra, who won Olympic Gold for Javelin, also achieved a gold medal here in 2016. Hima Das won gold for 400m. Seema Unfilled A won a bronze medal for discus throw in 2002, Navjeet Kaur Dhillon won it for the same discipline in 2014. Will the mixed relay team add to that medal tally others have achieved? We will have to watch and see later today.
