Glasgow, Jul 28 (PTI) National record holder Vishal TK kept India’s medal hopes alive in the men’s 400m after qualifying for the semifinals, while compatriot Rajesh Ramesh narrowly missed the cut in the athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Vishal from Tamil Nadu, who became the first Indian to dip below the 45-second barrier with his national record of 44.98 seconds in May this year, finished second in Round 1 Heat 6 with a time of 46.49 seconds.
He crossed the line behind Amal Glasgow of St Vincent and the Grenadines, who won the heat in 46.03 seconds, with the top two athletes from Heat 6 progressing to the semifinals.
Rajesh, however, endured a disappointing outing. Running in Heat 3, he clocked 47.43
seconds to finish third, agonisingly missing qualification as only the top two from the heat advanced.
Overall, Vishal’s 46.49 was the 14th fastest among the 16 semifinalists. The semifinals will be on July 30.
Jamaica’s Zandrion Barnes emerged as the quickest qualifier after posting 45.13 seconds in Heat 4.
While Vishal looked comfortable in securing automatic qualification, he remains capable of much faster timings. His national record of 44.98 seconds, achieved earlier this season, underlines his ability to challenge the strongest runners in the field.
The Indian has been one of the country’s standout quarter-milers in recent years, playing a key role in the country’s gold medal-winning 4x400m mixed relay team and the silver medal-winning men’s 4x400m relay squad at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi last year.
If Vishal can reproduce the form that saw him rewrite the national record, he could emerge as a serious contender for a podium finish despite the depth of the field. His semifinal performance will now determine whether India can realistically dream of adding another athletics medal to its tally. PTI AM AM AH AH
