Indian relay teams near World Athletics Relays qualification
Chandigarh, March 28: India’s men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x100m relay teams took a major step toward qualification to the World Athletics Relays in Botswana in May, delivering standout performances at the International Invitation Relay Competition here on Saturday. The men’s 4x400m squad, featuring Manu TS, Amoj Jacob, D Chaudhary, and Rajesh Ramesh, secured gold with a time of 3:01.43 seconds. The performance significantly bolsters their standing as they push for a spot in the World Athletics Relays, scheduled for May 2-3 in Gaborone, Botswana. In the mixed 4x100m relay, the National B team stole the show by shattering the national record. The quartet clocked 42.30 seconds, erasing the previous mark of 43.44 seconds set by Tamil Nadu in 2025. The India A team followed closely in second at 42.34 seconds, while the Maldives took third. However, the day was marked by “heartbreak” for the men’s 4x100m relay team. A disqualification in the heats ended their hopes of qualifying for the World Relays. (PTI)
Winning start to season for Tejaswin Shankar in decathlon
New Delhi, March 28: India’s Tejaswin Shankar started his decathlon season on a winning note at the David Noble Relays 2026 athletics meet in Texas, USA, emerging victorious in the event with a new wind-assisted personal best of 7947 points. Shankar falling 53 points short of 8000m mark in a wind-aided competition on Friday. Shankar’s effort in Texas was better than the standing national record of 7826 points, which he himself set in Poland last year, but it was not ratified as a new record as per the World Athletics Rules because of excessive tail winds. According to World Athletics rules, decathlon records require the average wind assistance across the 100m, long jump, and 110m hurdles to not exceed +2.0 m/s. In the Texas meet, the 100m (+4.7 m/s) and Long Jump (+4.5 m/s) readings significantly exceeded the legal limits. In Shankar’s case, the tailwind during the 100m event was +4.7m/s, the long jump event was +4.5m/s and the 110m hurdles event was +2.5m/s, taking the average to +3.9m/s, making the performance ineligible to be considered as a record. (PTI)
Novak Djokovic pulls out of the Monte Carlo Masters
Monaco, March 28: Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters after having skipped the Miami Open with a right shoulder injury. “We send him our best wishes and hope to see him back on court very soon,” the clay-court tournament wrote Friday in announcing Djokovic’s withdrawal in an Instagram message. The post didn’t specify the 38-year-old Djokovic’s reason for pulling out, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since losing in three sets to Jack Draper in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open two weeks ago. (AP)
Tiger Woods released on bail hours after arrest on suspicion of DUI
Jupiter Island (USA), March 28: Tiger Woods was released on bail late Friday, hours after his Land Rover clipped a truck, rolled onto its side and the golfer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, officials said. Woods had been travelling at “high speeds” on a residential road and after the crash showed “signs of impairment,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken some kind of medication or drug. He described Woods as lethargic and said he agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test and was arrested. Florida law required that he spend at least eight hours in jail before he could post bail. (AP)
