India’s relay teams had a tough start on Day 1 of the World Athletics Relays 2026 in Gaborone, Botswana, as none of the five teams could reach the finals on Saturday.
However, all teams will get another chance on Sunday. They will compete again for a few remaining spots to qualify for the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
The men’s 4x400m team Dharmveer Choudhary, Rajesh Ramesh, Vishal TK, and Manu TS gave a strong performance. They finished fourth in their heat with a time of 3:00.32 (Season Best).
Rajesh Ramesh, who ran the second leg, even took the lead for a short time. Vishal TK, running the third leg, stayed close with the top teams. But in the end
Manu TS couldn’t maintain the pace, India finished behind Belgium, Qatar, and Spain, placing 12th overall and missing out on the final.
In this event, only the top teams from each heat and the next fastest teams move to the final and directly qualify for the 2027 World Championships.
The other teams, including India, will race again on Day 2. This time, only the top two teams from each heat will qualify.
Earlier, the mixed 4x100m relay team S. Tamilarasu, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur, and SS Sneha could not finish their race. The baton slipped from Kujur’s hand during the exchange.
The mixed 4x400m team Theerthesh Shetty, Ansa Babu, Amoj Jacob, and Rashdeep Kaur finished sixth in their heat with a time of 3:16.00.
In the women’s 4x100m relay, Tamanna, Nithya Gandhe, Sudeshna Shivankar, and SS Sneha finished fifth with a time of 43.97 seconds.
The men’s 4x100m team Harsh Raut, Ragul Kumar, Animesh Kujur, and Gurindervir Singh, finished last in their heat, clocking 39.07 seconds.