Paris 2024: Indian mixed 4x400m relay team fails to make Olympics cut

The Indian mixed 4x400m relay team failed in its bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics despite setting a national record as it missed the target time exactly by a second on the final day of the National Inter-State Championships here on Sunday.

India fielded two teams -- A and B -- in the mixed 400m relay event which also has Sri Lanka and Maldives invited by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) so that the timings are counted for world ranking purposes.

Three national teams are required to make an event an international one.

The Indian team's target was to clock 3:11.87 to go past Kenya (3:11.88) and take the 16th and the last spot. But the India A quartet of Muhammed Anas, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Muhammed Ajmal and Kiran Pahal clocked 3:12.87 to win the race.

In the process, the Indian team erased the previous national record of 3:14.12 seconds which was recorded at the Asian Relay in Bangkok in May.

Interestingly, Kiran, who won the individual 400m by breaching the Olympic ...