Amlan Borgohain slams Assam Athletics Body after breaking 4x100m national record

Indian sprinter Amlan Borgohain, part of the men’s 4x100m relay team that broke a 15-year-old national record on Wednesday, has slammed the Assam Athletics Association for failing to support athletes from the state, even those competing at the highest level.

“Assam has only one athlete currently representing India—and even after setting a national record, there’s no support from the Assam Athletics Association,” tweeted sprinter Amlan Borgohain on Thursday, a day after he played a crucial role in breaking a 15-year-old national record in the men’s 4x100m relay.

Borgohain, along with teammates Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, and Manikanta Hoblidhar, clocked a sensational 38.69 seconds at the Indian Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh, representing the Reliance team. Their effort bettered the previous national record of 38.89 seconds set by the bronze-medal-winning Indian team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The performance also made them the fastest men’s 4x100m relay team in Asia this year, surpassing their own Asian lead of 38.93s set earlier in the heats.

Despite the national milestone, Borgohain expressed his disappointment with the lack of recognition and assistance from his home state's athletics association. In his tweet, he wrote:

“No help with registration fees, no encouragement. How will Assam athletes grow like this?”

Borgohain has long been one of the country's most consistent athletics performers and a previous 200m national record holder.