Date:23/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/23/stories/2008082361221800.htm

Sport

Women’s relay team fails to make it

BEIJING: The Indian women’s relay team did far better than expected and yet finished 12th overall and seventh in its heat of the 4x400m event in the Olympics at the National Stadium here on Friday.

The team of Satti Geetha, Manjeet Kaur, Chitra Soman and Mandeep Kaur clocked 3:28.83 in the first heat, edging Japan (3:30.52) for the seventh place. The top three in the two heats plus the two ‘fastest losers’ qualified for the final.

The Indian team had made the final of the Athens Olympics with a stunning National record of 3:26.89 before eventually finishing seventh in the final.

Ominous signs

There was hope in the Indian camp that a surprise slot in the final was possible here also, but the team did not have the credentials this season to back it up. Mandeep Kaur’s 52.88 in the heats of the individual 400m gave an indication of the form that the Indians were in, despite a month-long final preparation in Malaysia, not to speak of the time spent in Ukraine earlier.

Manjeet did well on the second leg and Chitra built further on that effort to bring the team to sixth place momentarily before it settled into the slot it could have hoped for in such company with Mandeep running an ordinary anchor.

Russia, U.S. win heats

Russia topped with 3:23.71, followed by Cuba (3:25.46) and Britain (3:25.48). The U.S. won the other heat in 3:22.45, followed by Jamaica (3:22.60) and Belarus (3:22.78). Nigeria (3:24.10) and Germany (3:25.55) joined the top six as ‘best losers’.

“We expected to do 3:27.50 for the season’s best. I was running third and the lead was too much to catch up. Everyone is not at the same level,” said Chitra Soman.

“I tried my best. We wanted to clock our best time and make the final. The attempt was to run all out and come below 3:27. We have only managed to do what we did in qualifying for the Olympics, 3:28,” said Geetha.

The Indian presence in athletics has ended, without a single athlete making it to the next round. This should rate as the worst ever performance by an Indian team since 1996 (when the women’s 4x400 relay team was disqualified), though in Sydney also, barring K.M. Beenamol’s semifinal entry, it was a familiar procession of first-round losers.

In Athens, apart from the relay team, long jumper Anju George made the final while K.M. Binu entered the semifinals of the 400m. — Special Correspondent