April 20, 2025, at the National 4×100 Relay Carnival in Chandigarh, could well be remembered as a pivotal day in Indian athletics.
On a warm Sunday evening, four sprinters—Amlan Borgohain, Gurindervir Singh, Manikanta H, and Animesh Kujur came together not just to run, but to redefine what was thought possible for India in the men’s 4x100m relay.
Their combined effort of 38.69 seconds not only secured a new national record (NR) but also reignited belief in India’s sprint relay potential.
It was the first time in 15 years that an Indian men’s relay team had dipped under the 39-second mark. But this wasn’t just a marginal improvement—they shattered the old record. The previous NR of 38.89s was set in the final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, a time when Indian athletics was enjoying a rare moment in the spotlight.
Revisiting the Past
To truly appreciate this new mark, one must understand the context of the record it surpassed. The 2010 quartet Rahamatullah Molla, Suresh Sathya, Shameer Mon, and Abdul Najeeb Qureshi ran 39.00 seconds in the semifinals and 38.89 seconds in the final, which earned them a bronze medal, India’s only relay podium in CWG history.
However, the glow of that achievement didn’t last long. One of the team members, Suresh Sathya, tested positive for nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, casting a shadow over what had been seen as a breakthrough performance. Over the next decade, Indian men’s relay efforts fell off the radar. Between 2010 and 2023, India broke the 39.50-second barrier only twice, and there were few signs of resurgence. That changed in Chandigarh.
A Quartet to Watch
The new team represents not only talent but also diversity Punjab, Assam, Karnataka, and Odisha are all represented. Each of the four has shown promise as an individual sprinter, but together they form a formidable unit. What adds to the optimism is their age profile: Amlan (27), Gurindervir (24), Manikanta (23), and Animesh (22). With these ages, they are entering what many consider the peak years for sprinting.
Here’s a comparison of the two record-holding teams’ individual 100m bests:
The 2010 record of 38.89s was notable at the time, but the 2025 squad’s 38.69s comes from athletes with significantly better individual sprint credentials. The 2025 group represents India’s first-ever men’s team where all four runners have clocked 10.2s-range performances a first in Indian sprinting history.
The James Factor
Much of the credit for this transformation goes to the Reliance Foundation Athletics Programme and its head coach James Hillier, an Australian with years of sprint coaching experience. All four relay members currently train under his watch. Hillier’s program has focused on both physical preparation and technical excellence in baton exchanges, which was visibly smooth in Chandigarh.
The continuity in training location and coaching setup could be the critical factor that takes this team from being national record holders to serious contenders on the continental stage and beyond.
How Far Are We from Global Standards?
While the national record is cause for celebration, the global benchmark remains steep. A glance at the 2024 world rankings offers a reality check. Twenty countries including sprint powerhouses like the USA, Jamaica, Canada, and Great Britain, as well as emerging teams like South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria ran faster than 38.69s in the last Olympic year.
This highlights two truths: one, India has made progress; two, there’s still a considerable gap to bridge. At the moment, a time like 38.69s might get India into the World Championships, depending on how other nations perform during the qualification period. But reaching an Olympic final remains a distant target, unless India can trim another two to three tenths off their time.
What’s the Ceiling?
If the current quartet continues to stay injury-free and focus equally on relays alongside their individual events, further improvement is realistic. There’s reason to believe a sub-38.5s performance is within reach which could bring India within the top 12 relay nations, a benchmark often needed to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Moreover, the team will benefit from racing at high-pressure meets. Strategic exposure at Asian Relays, Continental Tour meets, and World Relays will help refine their baton exchanges and build synergy under competition stress.
India’s sprinting ecosystem is still evolving. The likes of Jeswin Aldrin in long jump, Kishore Jena and Neeraj Chopra in javelin, and the men’s 4x400m relay squad have already put the country on the global athletics map. The men’s 4x100m relay team could be the next in line.
The performance in Chandigarh was not just a record; it was a message.
Summary: India’s National Record-Breaking 4x100m Relay Team
- Event: National Relay Carnival, Chandigarh, April 2025
- Team: Amlan Borgohain, Gurindervir Singh, Manikanta H, Animesh Kujur
- Time: 38.69 seconds (New National Record)
- Previous NR: 38.89s (Delhi CWG 2010)
- Training Base: Reliance Foundation Athletics Programme
- Coach: James Hillier (Australia)
- Outlook: Potential to go sub-38.5s, World Championship qualification likely, Olympic final remains a longer-term goal
India has found its fastest relay team yet. Now, the challenge is to convert potential into podiums.
