Mixed 4x400m relay gives new Medal hope for SL at Asian Games 2018

Asian Games 2018 athletic competition will have new guests with the inclusion of a 4x400m mixed relay event in Jakartha later this year. After a highly successful 4x400m mixed relay event at the IAAF World relays regional competition, had adopted the formats including the European championship.

Even the 2020 Olympic Games competition will see a 4x400m mixed relay event which will be named medley relay in the competition at Tokyo.

“It’s going to be awesome because most of the countries are small and don’t have a full relay team, so the mixed relay will give a lot of other countries a chance to win a medal at the Olympics,” track star Steven Gardiner of Bahamas said after winning the gold medal at the IAAF world relays which is applicable to Sri Lanka too as SL have one or two good 400m runners though sometimes they find it hard to make a full four member team.

Mixed relay will see two male and two female runners competing the four laps with each team deciding which runner will run which lap. This will see both male and female runners competing with each other in the same lap.

Even though Sri Lanka finds it hard to make the podium with the women’s 4x400m relay they may have a chance of winning a medal in the mix 4x400m relay event.

With Aruna Darshana (45.79 seconds), Kalinga Kumarage (46.08 seconds), Upamalika Rathnakumari (53.31 seconds) and Nadeesha Ramanayaka (53.94 seconds) Sri Lanka has good mix 4x400m relay team .Also  Dilip Ruwan 46.31 seconds and Dilshi Kumarasinghe 54.03 seconds is not far behind as both of them could seen them taking over any of the other leading 400m athlete at Nationals before Asian Games.

On the paper only India has superior team ahead of Sri Lanka in Asia when comparing the male and female 400m performances . Japan too has a good team where the performance are very close to Sri Lanka while other countries does not runner to be close to what SL,India and Japan has. Qatar has several leading male 400m but they lack female 400m athletes. on contrast Baharain has several leading 400m runners including Asian record holder and also world number one Salwa-Eid Nassar but they do not have runner to atleast clock 47 seconds in male 400m running.

Based on the timing Sri Lanka have a chance at podium in the event where SL is looking for their first Asian Games track and field medal since 2006.