Asian championships: confusion still reigns over relay teams qualification

Arumugam runs in 4x100m even though he is not part of the team selected

India’s 4x100m relay teams cleared the Athletics Federation of India (AFI)’s qualifying trials for next week’s Asian championships, but amidst confusion and controversy in the men’s race.

The men’s quartet that ran at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here on Wednesday included M. Manikanda Arumugam, who is not part of the six-member team selected. Arumugam’s name, however, was missing from the results announced shortly afterwards. Instead V. Praveen Muthu Kumar, who is part of the six-member side as a reserve but did not run at all, was mentioned.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI)’s coaches insisted that it was Muthu Kumar who ran until confronted with photographs of the race. At best it was an incredible case of mistaken identity; at worst it was a deliberate attempt to mislead.

The AFI secretary, C.K. Valson, who was present at the venue, left the matter to the selection committee.

“It’s up to the selection committee to decide whether they want to consider this performance or not,” he said. “Arumugam is not part of the team. He can’t go as of now but we will try for a late entry. If the selection committee wants a re-trial, it will be conducted.”

It is understood that Dharambir Singh, the Federation Cup 200m champion and apparently the team’s quickest runner, joined the relay camp late and thus did not have the confidence of Dmitry Vanyaikin, the team’s Ukrainian coach, with regard to the baton exchanges. The reserves, Muthu Kumar and Abdul Najeeb Qureshi, had similarly had inadequate practice. Arumugam, who has been in the camp for a long time, was thus perhaps preferred in a desperate attempt to qualify.

In Wednesday’s trial, the men’s team of Jyoti Shankar Debnath, Krishnakumar Rane, Amiya Kumar Mallick and Arumugam clocked 39.11s, finishing inside the qualifying time of 39.18 set by the AFI (the fourth best performance from the 2013 Asian championships).

The women’s team of S. Sini, M.G. Padmini, Srabani Nanda and Dutee Chand also made the grade, clocking 44.99 against the AFI’s requirement of 45.03.

Dutee Chand, who has been permitted to compete in the Asian championships pending a final decision on her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the IAAF, was relieved. “I was anxious about the baton exchange. But it all went off well thanks to God,” she said.