World Athletics Championships: India in 4x400m mixed relay final, secure Olympic berth – India Today, Indiatoday.in

The Indian team (extreme right) finished behind Poland and Brazil to reach the 4x 400 m mixed relay final (AP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Indian team finished 3rd, behind Poland and Brazil, with a time of 3 : 16. 14 s
• Th e third-place finish also saw the Indian team secure their berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• The first heat saw the United States of America clinch victory with a world record time of 3: 12. 42 s

India finally had something to cheer about on Day 2 of the World Athletics Championships as the mixed relay team qualified for the final of the 4x 400 m by finishing third in the second heat of the semi- finals in Doha on Saturday.

The Indian mixed relay team of Muhammed Anas, Vismaya, Krishna Mathew and Noah Nirmal finished behind Poland and Brazil with a time of 3: 16. 14 s to reach the final. The third-place finish also saw the Indian team secure their berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a result.

The first heat saw the United States of America clinch victory with a world record time of 3: 12. 42 s, ahead of Jamaica and Bahrain.

Earlier, the Indian contingent had to deal with twin disappointments as ace sprinter Dutee Chand and MP Jabir both failed to advance in their respective events.

Dutee Chand’s campaign ended after she crashed out in the first round of the women’s 100 m while 400 m hurdler MP Jabir made an exit in the semifinals.

Dutee clocked 11. 48 seconds in her heat, well below her s eason best which stands at 11. 26 s. Dutee had failed to meet the qualifying standards for world championships in 2019 but she made it to Doha meet after getting an invite from the IAAF.

Dutee finished in 37 th place overall and also failed to secure a berth for the Tokyo Olympics as a result. The qualification standard for the 2020 Games was set at 11. 15 seconds.

Jabir on the other hand, finished fifth in men’s 400 m hurdles semifinals heat number 3 and 16 th overall among 24 runners with a time of 49. 71 seconds. The top two finishers in each of the three semifinal heats and the next two fastest runners qualify for the finals.

Reigning world champion Karsten Warholm of Norway led the runners into the finals with a timing of 48. 28 seconds.

Jabir had qualified for the semifinals with a timing of 49. 62 seconds on Friday but he could not improve upon it on Saturday. He has a personal best of 49. 13 which he had clocked this year.

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