India, April 29 -- It was only a couple of seasons ago that the Indian men's 4x400m relay team made headlines with a blistering run at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. India set an Asian record (2:59.05) in the heats, running neck-and-neck with runners of powerhouse US, and finished a stunning fifth in the final (2:59.92). The team of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob and Rajesh Ramesh extended their hot streak with gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games later that year.

The Paris Olympics last year didn't turn out to be a happy hunting ground. A season's best of 3:00.58secs wasn't good enough to qualify for the final. Japan got back their Asian record in the final (2:58.33secs).

The Athletics Federation of Indi...