Patiala: After setting up a world record at the Indian Grand Prix IV four days ago, the Indian women’s 4x100m relay team will be looking to better their performances during the five-day Inter-State Athletics Meet which starts on Friday.
The quartet of Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Archana Suseendran, and S Dhanalakshmi clocked 43.37s at the Indian Grand Prix IV bettering the previous best of 43.42s. The goal for them is to clock 43.05s to win a smooth passage for the Tokyo Olympics.
Only the top 16 world-ranking teams in the women’s 4x100m will be eligible to compete at the Tokyo Olympics starting on July 23. India’s current world ranking is 20. The spotlight will also be on men’s 4x400m relay team. This will be the last chance for athletes to make the cut for the Tokyo Olympic Games before the June 29 deadline.
At the Indian Grand Prix IV, the 4x400m men relay team of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Arokia Rajiv, and Noah Nirmal Tom clocked 3:02.61s. But they need to run faster in the Inter-State Athletics Meet to stay on course for the Tokyo Olympics.
To ensure smooth passage for the Olympics, the Indian team should clock below 3:02.50s. India’s current ranking is 16. A better show will improve their ranking also. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s middle-distance runner Nimali Waliwarsha and sprinter Nadeesha Ramanayake are among the prominent athletes at the Inter-State Athletics Meet.
While Nimali will compete in the women’s 800m, Nadeesha will be seen in action in the women’s 400m. Both Nimali and Nadeesha will aim to improve their performance to earn tickets to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Olympic qualifying time in the women’s 800m is 1:59.50s while Nimali’s personal best is 2:02.58s clocked in 2017. Nadeesha has a season-best of 53.48 seconds in the women’s 400m while the Olympic qualification time is 51.35s.
