Paris 2024 Olympics: What is Mijo Chacko Kurian's personal best in men's 4x400m relay?
Mijo Chacko Kurian will be an alternate athlete for India in the men's 4x400m relay event at the Paris Olympics 2024. If required, he will be in action on August 9, when the preliminary round of action will unfold.
Kurian's personal best came at the Asian Athletics Championships 2023 in Bangkok. He finished the race with a timing of 3:01.80 and won a silver medal. On the other hand, he delivered his best in 400m at the Inter-Services Athletics Championships, Jalahalli, with a timing of 46.10.
2022 was when it all started to turn around for Kurian, as he secured podium finishes in the 400m events in the major national competitions. Meanwhile, he also had a terrific performance in the men's 4x400m relay, winning gold at the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Chennai and silver at the Indian National Games in Gujarat and National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru.
The average performances in the 400m events didn't affect Mijo Chacko Kurian's results in the 4x400m relay in 2023. He finished with a silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok and a bronze at the Sri Lankan Championships, Mahinda Rajapaksha Stadium in Diyagama.
However, the icing on the top was his gold-medal finish at the Asian Games, where the quartet of Tamilarasan, Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Kurian and Rajesh Ramesh clocked 3:03.81.
How has Mijo Chacko Kurian fared in 2024?
Mijo Chacko Kurian's participation in 2024 has seen him getting average results in the national events. He secured a fourth-place finish at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar, while finishing sixth at the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Panchkula. Both these finishes came in the 400m events.
Nevertheless, Kurian had a silver medal at the Asian Relays in Bangkok, where he finished with a timing of 3:05.76 in the men's 4x400m relay.
Despite not being part of the quartet helping India secure a Paris Olympics quota, he was named in the six-member men's 4x400m relay event by the Athletics Federation of India. It will be interesting to see if he can secure a podium finish for the team in the Games.