US athlete admits feeling spooked by India's performance in World Athletics Championships 2023
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Budapest: United States of America's 4x400m relay runner, Justin Robinson, has openly acknowledged that he was taken aback by India's remarkable performance in the World Athletics Championships 2023 held on Saturday.
India's 4x400m relay team made a significant impact by shattering the Asian record in a stunning display, completing the race in an impressive 2 minutes 59.05 seconds.
This exceptional performance allowed the Indian quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi, and Rajesh Ramesh to secure a place in their maiden final round. The Indian team finished second in heat number one, closely trailing the USA team (2:58.47), thus earning a spot in the final, scheduled for Sunday.
Challenging the world record holders, the Indian team remained in close pursuit of the American team throughout the race. Rajesh Ramesh, in particular, demonstrated exceptional determination during the final stretch, narrowly missing out on overtaking the USA's Justin Robinson.
Robinson shared his perspective, stating, "I was thinking I'll conserve some energy for the final. But then I could feel something coming up behind me. I didn't know it was an Indian. But I knew this wasn't ok. I was like, 'This isn't right!' So, I had to turn it up," reported Sportstar.
The qualifying criteria for the final involved the top three finishers from each of the two heats, along with the next two fastest teams. The Indian team's performance not only surpassed the earlier Asian record of 2:59.51 held by a Japanese team but also elevated the national record to 2:59.05, a significant improvement from the previous record of 3:00.25 set in 2021.
Overall, India secured a second-place finish in the heats, trailing only behind the USA team, but surpassing strong competitors like Great Britain (3rd; 2:59.42) and Jamaica (5th; 2:59.82).
As a result of their impressive showing, India will proceed to compete in the 4x400m relay final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 on Monday, starting from 01:07 AM IST (Local time 09:37 PM, Sunday). This achievement marks a significant milestone for Indian athletics on the global stage.