HIGHLIGHTS

• India’s Abdul Razak Rasheed, Priya Mohan, Summy and Kapil qualified for 4x400m mixed relay final
• The Indian team won Heat 1 to earn a direct place in final, scheduled for Wednesday evening
• India finished the heats with 2nd best timing, only behind Nigeria

India began the Athletics U20 World Championships in Nairobi on a bright note as the 4x400m Mixed Relay team set a new Championship record after sealing a direct berth in the final with a timing of 3:23.36s in the heat. The team of Abdul Razak Rasheed, Priya Mohan, Summy and Kapil won Heat 1 to qualify for the final, which will be held later on Wednesday, August 18.

The timing of 3:23.36s was the new U20 World Championships record until the Nigerian U20 team broke it in Heat 2 at the meet on Wednesday. The Nigerian team won Heat 2 with a timing of 3:21.66s. They also topped the overall qualifying charts.

It is the first time the 4x400m Mixed Relay is part of the U20 Athletics World Championships and India won Heat 1 to set a new meet record. They bettered the likes of the Czech Republic, Jamaica, Poland and Sri Lanka to top the opening heat.

India has made it to the final of the 4x400m Mixed Relay with the 2nd best overall timing. Kenya was disqualified after they finished second in Heat 2.

India has sent a 27-member team for the U20 World Athletics Championships, which is being held from August 18 to 22. India have had champions at the meet in the last 2 editions as Neeraj Chopra won the javelin gold in 2016 while Hima Das won the 400m gold in 2018.