World Athletics Relays 2024: Indian athletes eye Paris Olympic quotas – get schedule

The top 14 teams in each event will secure quotas for their respective countries for the Paris 2024 Olympics, where 16 teams will compete in each event. The remaining two places will be allocated based on top lists during the qualification period, which runs from December 31, 2022, to June 30, 2024.

Olympic quotas will be up for grabs on both days of the competition. The top two teams in each heat on the opening day will advance to the final on the second day whilst also securing Paris 2024 quotas.

The Olympic lane seeding positions will be decided in the finals which will be held on Day Two. The teams in the finals will also be competing for medals.

All other teams will compete in an additional qualifying round on the second day and the top two teams from each heat will also qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

A total of 32 teams will compete in the men’s 4x400m relay while 27 teams are set to appear in the women’s 4x400m. Another 30 teams are listed to compete in the mixed 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.

Each country can field a maximum of one team per event and up to eight athletes can be listed for each team. Any four from the team entered may be used in the races. However, in the mixed 4x400m relay event, a maximum of six athletes (three men and three women) may be entered with a single substitution allowed after the first round.

Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Muhammad Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh, who won the Asian Games gold medal in men’s 4x400m relay at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, will spearhead the Indian challenge, alongside Arokia Rajiv, Noah Nirmal Tom, Yashas Palaksha and Avinash Krishna Kumar.

The quartet of Anas, Amoj, Ajmal and Ramesh also hold the men’s 4x400m national and Asian records with a timing of 2:59.05, logged at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year.

Amoj Jacob, Arokia Rajiv, Noah Nirmal Tom and Muhammed Anas Yahiya also represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

India’s seven-member women’s 4x400m relay team comprises the Hangzhou Asian Games silver-medal winning team of Vithya Ramraj, Aishwarya Mishra, Prachi and Subha Venkatesan. Veteran runner MR Poovamma, Jyothika Sri Dandi and Rupal are the other members.

Vithya Ramraj and Rajesh Ramesh, who were part of the silver medal-winning Asian Games 2023 team, are in the Indian mixed 4x400m team, which also features Jyothika Sri Dandi, Amoj Jacob, Rupal and Yashas.

Indian squad at the World Relays 2024

• Men’s 4x400m: Amoj Jacob, Avinash Krishna Kumar, Rajiv Arokia, Rajesh Ramesh, Noah Nirmal Tom, Muhammad Ajmal, Muhammad Anas, Yashas
• Women’s 4x400m: Jyothika Sri Dandi, MR Poovamma, Aishwarya Mishra, Prachi, Vithya Ramraj, Rupal, Subha Venkatesan
• Mixed 4x400m: Jyothika Sri Dandi, Vithya Ramraj, Rupal, Amoj Jacob, Rajesh Ramesh, Yashas

World Athletics Relays 2024 schedule: Live start times

All in Indian Standard Time (IST)

May 5, Sunday

• Mixed 4x400m relay Olympic qualifying round 1 (heats) – 4:35 AM
• Women’s 4x400m relay Olympic qualifying round 1 (heats) – 6:35 AM
• Men’s 4x400m relay Olympic qualifying round 1 (heats) – 7:19 AM

May 6, Monday

• Men’s 4x400m relay Olympic qualifying round 2 (heats) – 5:35 AM
• Women’s 4x400m relay Olympic qualifying round 2 (heats) – 6:00 AM
• Mixed 4x400m relay Olympic qualifying round 1 (heats) – 6:34 AM
• Mixed 4x400m relay finals – 7:10 AM
• Women’s 4x400m relay finals – 7:40 AM
• Men’s 4x400m relay finals – 7:50 AM