The performance at the World Championships is a major confidence booster but replicating that at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China will be difficult given that the field will be less competitive, feels Indian men’s 4x400m relay team member Amoj Jacob.

Jacob, Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh shattered the Asian record, clocking 2 minutes 59.05 seconds to take the Indian men’s relay team to its first-ever World Championship final last week.

At the Asian Games, the quartet will be the front-runners to win gold.

“Definitely, (it) will be hard for us to get 2:58 (because) we won’t get that much challenge from anyone else at the Asian Games. Everyone will be looking at us,” Jacob said.

“I think Japan will be competitive, they have good runners. Don’t know about the timings, anything can happen on that day,” he added. The Indian team finished fifth in the final clocking 2:59.92. Jacob revealed the team was feeling fatigued after the heat.

“Before the heat we were focusing to run 2:58. Our coach Jason had some plans. He asked to try and be in the first bunch — directly qualify. But, after that race, Rajesh was puking for an hour and we were very tired,” Jacob, who ran the fastest split in the heats, said.

Reflecting on the final, Jacob said had Ajmal not jumped over a Botswana runner who fell down at the beginning of his leg, the Indian team’s timing would have been better.

“Major drawback was Ajmal jumping over the Botswana guy otherwise if he hadn’t fallen we would have clocked 2:58. In the second leg also I got blocked.”