Indian Men's 4x400m Relay Team Finish Commendable Fifth at World Championships
The Indian men's relay team finished fifth in the final with a timing of 2 minutes 59.92 seconds.
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Neeraj Chopra finished India's 2023 World Championships campaign with a historic gold on Sunday night but there were also more commendable finishes in the other two events India was in contention in on the final day of competition in Budapest.
3000m steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary set a new national record as she finished 11th in the final which helped her qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics while the men's 4x400m relay team finished fifth in the final with a timing of 2 minutes 59.92 seconds.
Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh had impressed many as they'd gone neck-and-neck with the mighty United States in the semifinal heat, and finished around 2 seconds behind them in the final.
The United States team of Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson and Rai Benjamin clocked a world-leading 2:57.31 to win the gold medal on Sunday night. Norwood and Rai Benjamin (anchor) came up with brilliant efforts of 4.01 and 44.02 respectively that really sealed the gold medal for them.
France bagged the silver medal in 2:58.45 -- a national record -- while Great Britain claimed bronze with a timing of 2:58.71 -- their season best. Jamaica were fourth in 2:59.34.
Muhammad Anas had a decent start and handed the baton to Amoj Jacob in fifth position. Ajmal took the baton in 7th place and surged back to fifth. In the anchor leg, Ramesh could only maintain the fifth position despite a valiant effort.
The Indian team had the second-best time in the heats, setting an Asian Record.
Long-distance runner Parul Chaudhary produced a brilliant effort to set a new national record in the women's 3000m steeplechase.
Parul clocked 9 minutes 15.51 seconds on Sunday to finish 11th overall. She improved on the national record of 9:19.76 held by Lalita Babar of Maharashtra, who set it in the Rio Olympics in 2016.
With her timing of 9:16.51, Parul also qualified for the Paris Olympic Games next year.
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