The Indian Grand Prix 4 will be held on June 21 at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala. The event is an Olympic qualifier and it will give the athletes a chance to qualify for Tokyo, which is just over a month away.
The Indian track and field athletes have not been in competition mode for months now. The last event, the Federation Cup, was held in March, before the second wave of COVID-19 hit the country. With limited options available, the Indian track and field athletes will be under tremendous pressure to perform and grab a slot for the Tokyo Olympics at the earliest.
Indian athletes such as Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Harmalin Bains, Tejinderpal Toor and Seema Punia have been training hard at their respective bases but competitions have eluded them. The athletes will be hoping to be on their mark at Patiala to make the cut.
Read: Indian Grand Prix 4: 5 athletes who can achieve direct Tokyo Olympics 2020 qualification
After missing the athletics meets in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan due to travel and COVID-19 restrictions, the Indian athletes will know that the Indian Grand Prix 4 is the best and easiest chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Hima Das and Dutee Chand will be part of the 4x100m relay team while the latter will also participate in the 100m race.
The National Inter-State Championships will be held after the Indian Grand Prix. The Inter-States will start on June 25 and will continue till June 29. The Inter-State Championship is also an Olympic qualifying event. However, athletes competing in the Indian Grand Prix 4 wouldn’t want to leave it that late.
Event list for Indian Grand Prix 4
Men: 400m, 400m hurdles, 1500m, long jump, triple jump, shot put and javelin throw
Women: 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m relay, 1500m, 5000m, discus throw and javelin throw
Also read: Indian Grand Prix 4: How can Hima Das qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2020?
Schedule for Indian Grand Prix 4
The Indian Grand Prix 4 starts at 1830 hrs on June 21 and goes on until 2105 hrs. The tentative schedule is given below.
1830 hrs: Women’s Javelin Throw Final
1830 hrs: Men’s 400m hurdles Final
1835 hrs: Men’s Long Jump Final
1840 hrs: 4x100m Relay Women Final
1850 hrs: 4x100m Relay Men Final
1900 hrs: Shot Put Men Final
1900 hrs: 400m Women Race A
1905 hrs: 400m Women Race B
1915 hrs: 400m Men Race A
1920 hrs: 400m Men Race B
1930 hrs: 100m Women Race A
1935 hrs: Javelin Throw Men Final
1935 hrs: Triple Jump Men Final
1940 hrs: 100m Women Race B
1950 hrs: 3000m Steeplechase Men Final
2015 hrs: 5000m Women Final
2030 hrs: Discus Throw Women Final
2035 hrs: 1500m Men Final
2045 hrs: 1500m Women Final
2055 hrs: 200m Women Race A
2105 hrs: 200m Women Race B
When and where to watch Indian Grand Prix 4?
The start time of the Indian Grand Prix 4 is 6.30 pm on June 21. The live stream of the Indian Grand Prix 4 will be on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFJn9dja3hnrU8Hi18Tw1ig
The social media accounts of the Athletics Federation of India – (https://www.facebook.com/AFIIndiaofficial/) and (https://twitter.com/afiindia?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) – will provide regular live updates.
Also read: Tokyo Olympics: Indian athletics should make it count this time