In November 2023, the Indian men’s 4x400m relay team assembled at the start of the national camp. Before their first training session, the national coach, Jason Dawson, addressed the team and shared his expectations for the upcoming season. “It’s going to be a hell of a year. It’s going to be nothing less than an actual war,” Nihal William recalls Dawson saying.
After a well-deserved break, the team returned to training and already had an idea of what was in store. The Indian relay squad won the Sportsman of the Year (Track and Field) award at the Sportstar Aces Awards in Mumbai after an incredible 2023 season, in which it won gold at the Asian Championships, broke the Asian record, and took fifth place at the World Championships. The team, which included Muhammad Anas, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh, and reserve runners Mijo Kurian and William, then went on to win gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Reflecting on the season, William shares, “During the year, we all had aspirations of exploring different places at the season’s end. Amoj and I, for instance, were keen on witnessing the Northern Lights. However, with only a few weeks off, we opted for a brief getaway to Goa.”
The rest of the team swiftly concluded its vacation plans. Anas, the eldest member at 29 and the lead runner, says, “We mainly visited our families, and then the coach emphasised the need to resume training, so that’s what we did.”
Despite the lack of a cooling-off period, there were no complaints. The team had realised its capabilities over the course of the season. Amoj, 25 and the second oldest in the squad, running the second leg, reflects, “Last year was a bit of a roller coaster. We had some really good achievements at the Worlds, and then we ended with a high at the Asian Games. But as much as there is this recognition, it comes with pressure because it’s an Olympic year.”
Making it to Paris is not as significant as the team’s belief in what it can achieve there. “We truly believe this team can be on the Olympic podium. We believe we can create history. The team is committed to reaching the podium,” Amoj says.
The 2023 World Championships in Budapest unlocked this belief, according to Amoj. During the heats, the Indian relay team ran its first-ever sub-three-minute race. In the final lap, Rajesh even appeared to take the lead against track giant USA before finishing a remarkable second.
One for the album: From (L-R): Rajesh Ramesh, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob and Muhammed Anas celebrate qualifying for the men’s 4x400m relay final at the World Athletics Championships 2023. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
The next day, they proved that their heats wasn’t a lucky one-off by covering the length under three minutes again before finishing fifth.
“I wasn’t in the race myself, but after that race, it seemed like everyone was cheering for us,” says William. “The Netherlands team approached us. We could see the Kenyans, Jamaicans, and Americans cheering for us. They were all used to winning among themselves. Now, they were seeing someone else. Everyone loves an underdog, right?” he says.
They now believed in their potential, just as their rivals did.
“If there’s one thing that we learned last year, it’s that the whole game at the elite level is about mindset,” says Amoj. “Honestly, before last year, we didn’t have it. We were competing on the world stage with the best athletes, but we didn’t believe we were one of them. We were training for the Worlds, but in our hearts, we didn’t believe that we were at that level. Now, we believe we are capable of winning in the Olympics. There is a change in mindset. Anything is possible. That is the key factor that is going to change for us,” he says.
Even though the team finished out of the medals, they rate their performance in Budapest better than that at the Asian Games, where they coasted to a gold medal. “At the start of the year, we were focussing on the World Championships. We didn’t think too much about the Asian Games. That was easy. We just wanted to have a good time at the World Championships, and we did it,” says Anas.
And while its Asian record time of 2:59.05 might have been one of the highlights of Indian track history, the team believes it can go even faster. “Last year, we could have run a time of 2:58 if we had made fewer mistakes. In the final, one of us got blocked, another got pushed, and we still ran under three minutes. Even in the heats, where we set an Asian record, I don’t think we ran a perfect race. It was our best race, but lots of things could have been better,” says Amoj.
He points to the last lap, where Rajesh looked like he was about to overtake Justin Robinson of the USA in the first bend. “That was when Rajesh got pushed. When we see the race, it’s nice to see an Indian guy leading, but you don’t want to go in front so early. You want to be behind your opponent, so at the last stretch, you have enough energy to go around him and to the front. If that happened, then we would almost surely have run 2:58.00,” says Amoj.
On song: Amoj Jacob hands the baton to Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi in the Men’s 4x400m relay heats during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Amoj believes that his teammates are capable of running a potential time in the 2:58.00 range, which could help them secure a podium finish in Paris. To provide some perspective, the bronze medallist in the 2008 Olympics completed the race in 2:58.81; in 2012 it was 2:59.40; and in 2016 it was 2:58.49.
“We could have run in the 2:58.00 range last year as well, but this time we are trying to be optimistic and are trying for something in the 2:57.00 range. It’s a very difficult target, but even if we don’t get there; if we push hard enough, we should at least get to 2:58.00. It’s like what they say — if you aim for the stars, at least you will land on the moon,” Amoj says.
The team has reason to believe it is on track for that steep goal. “If you compare us to where we were last year, I think we are in much better shape. Last year, all of us were coming back from some sort of injury. We were carrying all sorts of aches and pains before the season. This year, we are thankfully not dealing with any sort of injury. We can focus on our training,” says Amoj.
Even as they throw themselves into training, the Indian squad has a key date in mind: May 4. That’s when they will get a chance to see just how good they are at the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas. While their performance at last year’s Worlds, Asian Games, and Championships should all but guarantee India a place in the Olympics via the ranking route, the team wants to qualify outright.
“For that, we need to make the final of the World Relays. Making the top eight will be our first goal. After that, we want to medal, and of course, we want to run a sub-three-minute race once again,” says Anas.
Alongside its relay goal, the team has individual targets. “Last year was very good from the team’s perspective, but we didn’t all get our personal bests. This season, one of our targets will be to get fast. We want all six of us to run under 46 seconds, and maybe some will run under 45 seconds (Anas currently holds the Indian 400m national record of 45.21 seconds). That way, we will have more options in Paris. We might be able to send a fresh team for the qualifiers and another for the final,” says Anas.
Amoj wants to get faster during the Olympic season, but if he runs in Paris, he won’t focus on his split times. “I just want to make sure that no matter what, I’m going to be the first guy handing over the baton to my teammate,” he says.
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