Shared News | UPDATED: AUGUST 24, 2018 22:19 IST
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Trial conducted on Friday to finalise women’s 4x400m relay team
The Asiad’s athletics competition begins here on Saturday but the Indians are not done with their trials yet.
A trial to pick the fourth member of the Indian’s women’s 4x400m relay team was held at the GBK athletics training ground here on Friday evening and Kerala’s V.K. Vismaya (52.4s, hand timing) defeated State-mate Jisna Mathew (52.8) to grab the berth. Sonia Baishya (53.4) and Vijaya Kumari (53.9) were the others who ran the race.
Galina Bukharina, the National coach for quartermilers and relay runners, made it clear that Asian champion Nirmala Sheoran would not be running the relay.
“The federation (AFI) had said months ago that non-campers would not be in the relay team and we have decided to stick with that. Nirmala will not be running the relay. It is too risky and a couple of girls have gone to court too regarding this,” the Russia-born American told The Hindu. “Saritaben (Gayakwad), M.R. Poovamma, Vismaya and Hima Das will be running the relay.”
P.T. Usha, Jisna’s coach, was unhappy that Saritaben was not asked to undergo the trial. “Sarita best time in the 400m is 53.24s, it would have been fair if she had been asked to run in the trial too? How did she get a direct berth,” she asked.
Galina said India’s chances of winning gold in the men’s 4x400m relay was difficult as Qatar looked strong while Bahrain pose a big problem for the women’s relay team, the defending champion.
Annu Rani arrives
Meanwhile, in another strange twist, javelin thrower Annu Rani who was dropped from the team by the AFI’s selection committee, arrived in Jakarta on Friday.
“She has a chance of a medal if she touches 60m, that’s why she has been cleared in the last minute though some selectors were not happy about it,” said a prominent coach.
