Indian men's 4x400m clocks 3:00.32 season-best at World Athletics Relays in Gaborone
Synopsis
India's men's 4x400m relay quartet delivered a season-best 3:00.32 at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, but fell just short of automatic Beijing 2027 qualification. With a second qualifying round on Sunday, the team has one more shot at securing a World Championships berth — a critical pathway for Indian sprinting's resurgence.
Key Takeaways
India's men's 4x400m relay clocked 3:00.32 seconds (season-best) on Saturday, 2 May at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone .
The quartet of Dharamveer Choudhary , Rajesh Ramesh , Vishal TK , and Manu T.S. finished fourth in heat 3, overall 12th.
Women's 4x100m team posted season-best 43.97 seconds (fifth in heat 1); men's 4x100m clocked 39.07 seconds (season-best).
Mixed 4x400m relay: season-best 3:16.00 seconds (sixth in heat 1).
India's national 4x400m record stands at 2:59.05 , set at the 2023 Budapest World Championships .
Men's 4x400m team gets a second qualifying attempt on Sunday to earn a Beijing 2027 spot.
India's men's 4x400m relay quartet of Dharamveer Choudhary, Rajesh Ramesh, Vishal TK, and Manu T.S. clocked a season-best 3:00.32 seconds to finish fourth in heat 3 on day one of the World Athletics Relays at Gaborone's National Stadium on Saturday, 2 May. The performance, though impressive, fell short of automatic qualification for the World Athletics Championships 2027 in Beijing, which requires a top-two finish in each heat.
India's relay performances on day one
The national women's 4x100m team of Tamanna, Nithya Gandhe, Sudeshna S, and Sneha SS posted a season-best 43.97 seconds to finish fifth in heat 1, placing India 13th overall in that event. The men's 4x100m squad of Harsh Raut, Ragul Kumar, Animesh Kujur, and Gurindervir Singh also logged a season-best 39.07 seconds. The mixed 4x400m relay team of Theerthesh P Shetty, Ansa Babu, Amoj Jacob, and Rashdeep Kaur finished sixth in heat 1 with a season-best 3:16.00 seconds.
A second chance on Sunday
India's men's 4x400m team, which finished 12th in the overall standings on Saturday, will get another opportunity to secure a Beijing berth in the second qualifying round on Sunday. The format allows non-automatic qualifiers to compete again, with the strongest aggregate times across both rounds determining final advancement.
Season-best context and national standards
Saturday's 3:00.32 clocking improves on India's previous season-best of 3:01.43, set during a domestic meet in Chandigarh earlier this season. However, it remains well short of the national record of 2:59.05, established at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary. That gap underscores both the progress Indian sprinters have made and the distance to world-class performance.
Mixed relay squads face tougher draws
The mixed 4x100m relay team, grouped in heat 2 alongside Paraguay, Belgium, Spain, China, the USA, France, and Poland, did not finish in Saturday's first qualification round. India's season-best in that event stands at 42.30 seconds, clocked in Chandigarh. The women's 4x100m team is grouped in heat 1 with Ireland, Australia, Canada, the USA, Poland, and Spain — a competitive field that will test India's depth.
Road to Beijing
With multiple relay events still to run and a second chance in men's 4x400m, India's relay programme at the Gaborone championships remains fluid. Success on Sunday could unlock Beijing spots and signal a resurgence in Indian sprinting on the global stage.
Point of View
Yet nearly two seconds behind the national record set in Budapest. The real story is not Saturday's time but whether Sunday's second chance translates into a Beijing berth — a watershed moment for Indian sprinting. Without World Championships qualification, India's relay programme risks another cycle of domestic dominance masking international stagnation.
NationPress
28 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What time did India's men's 4x400m relay clock at the World Athletics Relays?
India's men's 4x400m relay quartet clocked 3:00.32 seconds, a season-best, on Saturday, 2 May at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone. The team finished fourth in heat 3, which was not sufficient for automatic qualification to the World Athletics Championships 2027 in Beijing.
Who are the members of India's men's 4x400m relay team?
The quartet consists of Dharamveer Choudhary, Rajesh Ramesh, Vishal TK, and Manu T.S. They clocked the season-best 3:00.32 on Saturday.
Does India have another chance to qualify for Beijing 2027?
Yes. India's men's 4x400m team finished 12th overall on Saturday and will compete in a second qualifying round on Sunday. The top teams across both qualifying rounds, based on aggregate performance, will earn automatic spots for the World Athletics Championships 2027 in Beijing.
What is India's national record in the 4x400m relay?
India's national record in the 4x400m relay is 2:59.05, set at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary. Saturday's 3:00.32 is a season-best but remains nearly two seconds off that mark.
How did India's other relay teams perform on day one?
The women's 4x100m team clocked 43.97 seconds (season-best, fifth in heat 1); the men's 4x100m posted 39.07 seconds (season-best); and the mixed 4x400m relay ran 3:16.00 seconds (season-best, sixth in heat 1). The mixed 4x100m team did not finish in the first qualification round.
