Relay exploits

While I was watching (on TV) Anju Bobby George trying her best to better her first attempt in the Long Jump finals, I was surprised to see India listed in the line-up for a women’s 4X400 m relay heat. After all, the media had proclaimed Anju was the last medal hope for India. So where did this Indian relay quartet emerge from?! Obviously… the media was being uninformed and nearsighted!!

When the race started, I expected to see the Indian girls put up at least a fighting display. But Rajwinder Kaur’s first run was so dramatic that it made me sit up. She came out of nowhere to finish the first leg in the second place, handing over the baton to KM Beenamol. Knowing that Beenamol is a great runner, I knew we were on to something good here. She did not disappoint… finishing her leg in the second place as well. Things almost went awry in the third leg when Chitra Soman proved to be the weakest link as she struggled to match the pace set by the previous two Indian runners. As a result, when she handed over the baton to Manjit Kaur for the final leg of the relay race, India was languishing in the fifth place. But the ‘Flying Sikhni‘ ran an amazing lap to surge to the third place. She slowed down towards the end when she realized that India would qualify because the fourth placed runner was too far to catch her. And yet… the Indians had broken the National record by almost half a second.

And while Anju narrowly failed to secure a medal, the women’s relay team has certainly raised fresh hopes. Now it remains to be seen how they fare in the finals! Lets see! :-)