With the year 2026 a little over two months away, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has trained its focus on preparations for two mega events \u2014 the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.<\/p>\n
India had bagged 29 medals in athletics, including three in 4x400m relays (comprising men\u2019s gold and women\u2019s and mixed silver), at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The AFI has a target of improving the medals tally from track and field this time. <\/p>\n
A few months prior to the Hangzhou Asian Games, the country\u2019s men\u2019s 4x400m relay team had done creditably well. It hit the headlines with its Asian record-breaking performance of 2:59.05 at the 2023 Budapest World championships. <\/p>\n
However, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Indian men\u2019s and women\u2019s 4x400m relay teams crashed out in the heats finishing fourth and eighth respectively. <\/p>\n
The country has lost some pace in longer relays due to athletes\u2019 injuries. <\/p>\n
The male runners are on the path of recovery and there is some hope. <\/p>\n
However, a few key female sprinters \u2014 including Jyothika Sri Dandi, Rupal Chaudhary and Subha Venkatesan \u2014 have been sidelined due to injury. Building a new team and making it perform at top level will definitely take some time. <\/p>\n
With India\u2019s top sprinters hogging the limelight because of their fine performances since March, 4x100m men and women\u2019s relays have been included in the priority list. The AFI is hopeful of a podium finish in the men\u2019s section at the continental showpiece. As two athletes \u2014National record holder Animesh Kujur and former National record owner Manikanta Hoblidhar \u2014 have gone below 10.20s in the 2025 season, the federation is confident of a good show in Japan. <\/p>\n
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Gurindervir Singh is one to watch out for.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n K. MURALI KUMAR\n <\/p>\n
<\/div>\n Gurindervir Singh and Amlan Borgohain are two other sprinters to watch out for in 2026. The above-mentioned quartet lowering the 15-year-old relay National record of 38.89 seconds by 0.2 second in Chandigarh during a domestic meet in April has given their backers\u2019 reason to expect better results in 2026.
<\/p>\n The AFI is trying to streamline the selection process and is giving the athletes enough time to prepare for the big events. It has decided to select a bulk of the sprinters for the shorter relay team on the basis of their performances clocked at the National Open meet held in Ranchi from September 27 to 30.
<\/p>\n Nevertheless, its efforts suffered a setback in the depleted women\u2019s section primarily due to the provisional suspension of S. Dhanalakshmi for a second doping offence.
<\/p>\n The Commonwealth Games, the other important multi-sport event next year, offers stiffer competition in athletics, which is evident from India\u2019s eight individual medals (and none in relays) in Birmingham 2022.
<\/p>\n In order to know the overall approach for the two big events, especially plans for the relay teams, The Hindu<\/i> spoke to chief National coach P. Radhakrishnan Nair. Excerpts:<\/p>\n Could you please clarify how the AFI is going to select the athletes for the 4x100m relay teams for the Asian Games from the recently-concluded National Open meet?<\/b><\/p>\n We will have top-six athletes from the Ranchi competition. Two more sprinters will be added to the team on the basis of the overall performance in 2025. Altogether eight will be considered for the relay. We can consider 10. We may take some time. It\u2019s still a preliminary stage of preparation. But as of now the decision is to pick eight runners from the Ranchi event.
<\/p>\n \n India chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair, centre. <\/span><\/div>\n If someone clocks something like 10.10 in early 2026 will you consider him?<\/b><\/p>\n We may not. Since the policy says we will select from this, we may not.
<\/p>\n How have you conceptualised the relay camps?<\/b><\/p>\n There is no National coaching camp. We have centralised National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs). We will have only a National coaching camp two months before a major competition. For both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, we will be organising camps two months prior to those events. Same for the World championships and the Olympics. This will be just for familiarisation and make other administration work (easier in the run-up to a big event).
<\/p>\n What are the targets for 2026?<\/b><\/p>\n As for the Commonwealth Games, the chance of getting a relay medal is rather slim. We consider it as a build-up to the Asian Games. The gap between the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games is very small. If somebody peaked for the Commonwealth Games, then he\/she may not be able to sustain their performance (for the Asian Games). The Commonwealth Games athletics competition starts on July 27 and ends on August 1. The Asian Games athletics is from September 19 to October 4. In some events we may do good, but we are not going for a medal hunt (in the Commonwealth Games). We are not fixing a target for it.
<\/p>\n What about the men\u2019s 4x400m relay teams? We have been winning gold medals at the Asian Games?<\/b><\/p>\n Athletes, like Rajesh Ramesh and Amoj Jacob, got injured at the last moment. That is why they could not qualify (for the Tokyo World championships this year).
<\/p>\n Since they could not qualify through the World Athletics Relays (by finishing within the top 14), it was very difficult to qualify as the 15th and 16th teams because those were of very high (standards). Injury haunted us too. Both in women\u2019s and men\u2019s groups \u2014 Jyothika, Shubha, Rajesh, (Muhammad) Ajmal and Amoj. Now Rajesh, Amoj, Ajmal are getting fit. They will all be good by the time the Asian Games begin.
<\/p>\n If they train properly and remain injury-free, what kind of time the men\u2019s quartet can achieve?<\/b><\/p>\n This is only my instinct. If they are below 2:58, they will win gold in the Asian Games. Because Japan is very strong, Qatar is strong.
<\/p>\n Recently Qatar has done 3:00 minutes and Japan has done 2:58. So to win a gold medal you have to run below 2:58. I think it is within our reach, it is possible for us.
<\/p>\n What is the realistic target for the 4x100m relay teams?<\/b><\/p>\n It is very difficult to win a gold or a silver, but definitely we can win a medal. I am looking at a time better than the National record in men\u2019s 4x100m relay (38.69 seconds). But the women\u2019s 100m relay team doesn\u2019t look very promising at the moment.
<\/p>\n How many medals are you looking at in the Asian Games?<\/b><\/p>\n We are expecting more medals than that last time. But I can\u2019t say how many.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"India](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/todays-paper\/tp-sports\/1nmdfb\/article68166215.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/TH12-FederationGGKCPNCUB.3.jpg.jpg\" "\\"India")
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\n | Photo Credit:
\n Biswaranjan Rout\n <\/p>\n