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Rajesh Ramesh, who represented India at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships, has been replaced by Muhammad Anas in the 4x400m team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Birmingham on Thursday, July 2022. The Indian relay team were below par at the Athletics Championship, finishing 12th out of 13th competitors. Rajesh Ramesh ran in the slow 48.30s as he was carrying a niggle; his personal best is 46.09s at 400m.
“In the 4x400m men’s relay team, Rajesh Ramesh has gotten a minor injury so in order to make his replacement Muhammad Anas has been included in the squad.” Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla said.
Meanwhile, Muhammed Anas Yahiya has achieved the national record in the 400m (45.21), the 4×400m relay (3:00.25), and the 4x400m mixed relay (3:15.71). In the 2018 Asian games, Anas succeeded to win two silver and gold. The 27-year-old successfully finished the 400m relay race in 45.69s which helped him win the silver medal. When the Bahrain squad failed to pass a dope test, the Indian relay team got a chance to fight for a gold medal.
Muhammed Anas failed to win a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia, but managed to finish 4th in 45.31 seconds; Jamaican runner Javon Francis got the bronze medal and was 00.11 seconds faster than him.
Muhammad Anas’s efforts were a national record. Meanwhile, Botswana’s Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe won the gold and silver respectively in the same tournament.
The AFI was allowed to send 36 athletes for the Games, but after S Dhanalakshmi failed in the dope test, the Athletics Federation of India were forced to drop her from the women's relay 4x100m squad.
Due to injury, Neeraj Chopra, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist for India, and Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Asian record-holder shot putter, will also not be able to represent the nation at the Commonwealth Games 2022, which means AFI’s mandatory 36 athletes are reduced to 32 athletes.
