The Indian 4x400 metres mixed relay team finished seventh in the final at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday.
The team comprising Muhammed Anas, VK Vismaya, Jisna Mathew and Nirmal Noah completed the race with a season-best timing of 3.15.77. The Indian team came into the the race on a high as it had already sealed its berth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by qualifying for Sunday's final. The Indians finished third in their heat and seventh overall on Saturday with a timing of 3:16.14 to qualify for the finals, which ensured them an Olympic berth.
Anas, running in lane 8, began the race well and was leading during the baton exchange, but Vismaya was unable to sustain the momentum and slipped to the bottom of the pack. Jisna, upon receiving the baton from Vismaya, was just about to take off when she collided with a second leg runner of another country. It resulted in the loss of a few precious seconds and she was last when she reached Noah. He ran a strong race to power India to a seventh place finish, ahead of Brazil.
Meanwhile, the United States team bagged the gold medal in the first-ever mixed relay event of the World Championships. The quartet of Wilbert London, Allyson Felix, Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry broke their own World Record in the process, clocking 3:09.34. Jamaica (3:11.78) and Bahrain (3:11.82) secured the silver and bronze respectively.
With inputs from PTI
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