It will serve as a precursor to the Asian Games (September-October) and the focus this time is more on the 4x100m team than the 4x400 ms. New national record holer Gurindervir Singh will lead an elite field of 100m sprinters at the second edition of the Asian Relays Championships to be held at Shangyu in China on June 20 and 21. His teammate Animesh Kujur also part of the team.
A strong 29-member team will represent India that will include 4x400m runners as well. With emergence of Gurindervir and Animesh, the Athletics Federation of India has been focussing on 4x100m. The Indian contingent will compete in all six relay events in China.
"The competition in China will be a good opportunity for athletes to showcase their potential at the continental level," said AFI president Bahadur Singh. The third edition of the Asian Relays Championships will be held in Chandigarh. The continental competition was recently allotted to India at the Asian Athletics Association Council Meeting held in Hong Kong. “The international competition will give sports fans an opportunity to witness top athletes in action on the home soil,” said the AFI president.
The competition in China will be held in the men's 4x100m and 4x400m relay. Women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay. The Indian team will also compete in mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relay.
The Indian team for Asian Relays:
Men (4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay): Theerthesh P Shetty, Avinash Kumar, Setu Mishra, Nihal Wiliam, S Santhosh, Rince Joseph, Suraj Alagar Raja, Mohit Kumar, Barath Sridhar (4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay.
Men (4x100m and mixed 4x100m relay): Animesh Kujur, Gurindervir Singh, Harsh Santosh Raut, Pranav Pramod Gaurav, Ragul Kumar Ganesh Kumar, Senthil Kumar Tamilarasu
Women (4x400m and mixed 4x00m relay): Rashdeep Kaur, Poovamma MR, Ansa Babu, Vijaykumari GK, Saloni Nagar, Neeru Pathak, Subha V, Gowrinandana. (4x400m and mixed 4x00m relay)
Women (4x100m and mixed 4x100m relay). Nithya Gandhe, Tamanna, Sneha SS, Sudeshna Shivankar, Abinaya Rajarajan (4x100m and mixed 4x100m relay).