Latest news with #Afsal
Deccan Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
Making the two-lapped race his own, the Afsal way
Coach Ajith Markose suggests that Afsal's quality of being 'a hybrid runner' is what makes him distinct from the other Indian athletes in the event.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
After becoming India's fastest 800m runner ever, Afsal sets his sights even higher
Mohammed Afsal had a small smile on his lips as he topped the 800m heats at the recent National Federation Athletics Championships in Kochi. His time, 1:46.70s, was more than a second faster than the Athletics Federation of India's qualification standard (1:47.77) for this month-end's Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea. Afsal, the Asian Games silver medallist, was looking to seal his place in the Indian team with another fine run in the final. He felt in fantastic shape. Strange world But middle-distance running is a strange world. And shocking things can happen, especially if it's a slow race. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, for instance, American Matthew Centrowitz won the 1500m in 3:50.00s, the slowest winning time in an Olympics in more than 80 years! Afsal experienced the peculiarities of middle-distance running in the final, finishing a surprising fourth. 'The final was a slow race. I couldn't judge or predict what was going to happen,' he said. 'There were some judgement errors from my side and when I went into an outer lane, they took the lead and I couldn't do anything.' From the previous day's high, suddenly he hit a low. Afsal, the country's fastest two-lapper this year, was not picked in the Indian team because he did not finish in the top two. The 29-year-old was shattered. Missing the Asian Championships means he has to work harder to get onto the Road to Tokyo 2025, the World Athletics rankings system that will help athletes who missed the automatic qualification standard (1:44.50s) make it to September's World Championships. A couple of weeks later, a wonderful opportunity presented itself: the UAE Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour event. 'After having trained so much, I was mentally down since I finished fourth. I felt I had to get good results this season. My coach Ajith Markose also kept pushing me,' said Afsal. 'In Dubai, I was determined to get the [National] record, I was confident of doing it.' And Afsal wiped away much of his disappointment as he broke Olympian Jinson Johnson's seven-year-old National record (1:45.65s), clocking 1:45.61 for silver. The race had some quality runners, including Kenya's former African Championships silver medallist Nicholas Kiplangat, who took gold, and South African Christopher Swart. 'It was a good race, the Kenyan — a 1:44 runner — took the race at a correct pace. There was a South African too who had a PB of 1:45 in altitude. I was confident that if I stuck with them I could clock a good time,' said Afsal, who hails from Palakkad. 'Ajith sir told me I could do it, he had faith in me, I ran with that faith.' Ajith, who has been working on Afsal's finish and on sustaining his pace in the second lap at the Reliance Foundation Endurance Programme in Bengaluru, feels the athlete could have done better. 'We had planned a 1:45 flat, that's his year's target too. Had his race been cleaner, he could have done that. But there were hiccups here and there,' said Ajith. 'His finish was bad, he did not stick to the plan in the last 30m. Had he executed that, he could have come first. 'I felt he appeared a bit satisfied when he came from the back and got into medal position. He could have changed a gear, kicked a little more in the last 30m, he had the capacity for that.' The National record has given Afsal new confidence. 'I want to keep bettering my time, that is my target. I need more competition experience outside the country,' he said. So how fast can he go this year? 'In the 800m, you cannot just go and get better at a stretch. You need a good race, good climate, good athletes, so you can't plan anything. I ran 1:45 because I got a good race,' said Afsal, who emerged from Parli School, one of Kerala's leading athletics nurseries, where he was coached by P.G. Manoj. 'If I get good races like this, I can get even better, probably break the 1:45 barrier.' The Sriram effect Sriram Singh, perhaps India's greatest middle-distance runner whose brave front-running pushed Cuban Alberto Juantorena to a world record in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, feels the sub-1:45 will not come in a hurry. 'They may not go below 1:45, they will probably do 1:45-dead this year. It depends on the competition. Probably, they will be running 1:44 by the time of the next Olympics,' Sriram, the only Indian to run in an Olympic 800m final, told The Hindu from Jaipur. Sriram, who featured in three Olympics, finished seventh in Montreal and his time, 1:45.77s (an Asian record until 1994), stood as the National record for 42 years before Johnson (1:45.65s) broke it in 2018. Johnson, however, is positive the National record will start tumbling faster. 'I feel Indian athletes, like Afsal and Krishan Kumar [Asian Championships silver medallist], have the calibre to run 1:44 this year. If they keep doing it consistently, we can even get to 1:43-something,' said the former Asian Games 1500m champion. 'And for that, we surely need more international exposure because in the 800 and 1500m everything depends on race strategy. When we go for major championships or Games, we always try to win a medal. If you are focusing on a medal, you cannot do a good time, so international exposure is important. 'Now, with corporates like Reliance and JSW coming in, athletes are getting good exposure.' Johnson knows Afsal well, having raced against him. 'Afsal's reaction is fast when I compare him with myself, his speed is good,' said Johnson. Different strategies India's best middle-distance runners often have one strategy for domestic meets and another for international competitions. 'In India, you have to do front-running to clock a fast time…no point clocking 1:48 and winning a medal. That's why good runners tend to be front-runners in India,' explained Afsal. 'But while leading, you can't properly judge what's happening behind your back.' When they compete abroad, Indians often play a patient waiting game, shadowing the leaders. 'But, to be honest, I still have no idea what suits me. I have won races where I have led and won after staying at the back initially too,' said Afsal. Securing automatic qualification (1:44.50s) for the Worlds could be tough, but the National record has helped Afsal climb up to No. 51 in the Road to Tokyo rankings. The Reliance athlete is now looking for quality competitions that will help him confirm his place in the final 56-man list before the qualification doors close on August 24. 'Training-wise, everything is going perfectly. We are now trying for Continental Tour events, probably in Germany or somewhere,' said Afsal, whose favourite athlete is Sebastian Coe. Coe's middle-distance duels with Steve Ovett lit up athletics, and Afsal hopes the tight 800m competition in India will lift the event's status in the country.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
After setting NR, Afsal seeks tactical boost
New Delhi: Late last month, when Mohammed Afsal Pulikkalakath ran 1:48.33 to finish fourth at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championship in Kochi, he had lingering doubts about his technique and potential. He had started the season with a win at the National Games in Dehradun in February and followed it up with a second-place result at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Bengaluru in March. The timings, however, were disappointing — 1:49.13 and 1:47.09 respectively. The Federation Cup was his third successive below-par run (1:48.33) in as many outings, and so Afsal approached his coach Ajith Markose at the Reliance Foundation centre in Bengaluru. 'We went through a few of my races and the coach concluded that I was slipping tactically. Timing the acceleration and pacing yourself are crucial in 800m, and the coach helped me in those aspects,' Afsal said. A fortnight later, Afsal paced himself better and broke the national record with a 1:45.61 run at UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai to take the second place. He finished behind Kenya's Nicholas Kiplagat, who clocked 1:45.38s to win the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level competition. The previous national record was held by his Kerala statemate Jinson Johnson who ran 1:45.65 at the Guwahati Inter State Championships in 2018. 'I really look up to Jinson and running him close that day gave me the belief that I can break his record someday. Finally, it has happened and I hope it is the start of a new phase in my career,' Afsal, who is employed as a Junior Warrant Officer in the Indian Air Force, said. Jinson was among the first to call him when Afsal went past his mark last week. 'He is very happy for me. I have trained a lot with him and he has always helped me get better,' he said. Incidentally, Afsal's then PB of 1:46.79 had come in the same race in which Johnson set the national record but he has since struggled for consistency. 'I need to get tactically sound. I haven't had much international success but I feel with better planning, I will be able to deliver much more,' Afsal, the Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist (1:48.43), said. 'I need to have a better understanding of pace. Like in Hangzhou, the Dubai final was a slow race while the semi-final was fast. In slow races, leaders tend to drop speed in last 100m, so it is all about conserving yourself and pushing at the right time.' The Dubai effort was Afsal's first sub-1:46 run of his career but it wasn't good enough to breach the 2025 World Championships automatic qualification time of 1:44.50s. Earlier, Afsal had also missed the marker (1:47.77s) for this month's Asian Championship. 'I would've made the cut for the Asian event had I planned my race better. I am now focussed on collecting enough ranking points to make it to the Worlds,' he said. Afsal is likely to head to Europe for a bunch of competitions in June for exposure he believes will help him get better. 'I truly believe Indians can run 1:44 provided we work on our tactical nous,' the 29-year-old concluded.
Deccan Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
Mohammed Afsal breaks 800m national record in UAE event
Afsal had won a silver in 800m at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games with a time of 1:48.43s.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
New Record! Mohammed Afsal creates history, breaks 7-year-old 800m national record at UAE Athletics Grand Prix
Mohammed Afsal NEW DELHI: India's middle-distance runner Mohammed Afsal scripted history on Friday by breaking the long-standing men's 800m national record at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. The 29-year-old clocked an impressive 1:45.61s to surpass the previous record of 1:45.65s set by Jinson Johnson in 2018. Afsal's performance earned him a second-place finish at the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet, held at the Dubai Police Stadium. Operation Sindoor PM Modi meets NSA, chiefs of armed forces amid spike in tensions with Pak India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan Several airports in India to be closed till May 15 - check list He was narrowly edged out by Kenya's Nicholas Kiplagat , who won the race with a time of 1:45.38. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! While Afsal's timing fell just short of the 2025 World Athletics Championships automatic qualification mark of 1:44.50, it marked a significant improvement in his personal best and reaffirmed his status as one of India's top middle-distance athletes. The Kerala athlete had earlier clinched a silver medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games with a time of 1:48.43. Meanwhile, another Indian national record holder, Animesh Kujur , continued his fine form by winning the men's 200m in 20.45 seconds. Although slightly slower than his record-breaking 20.40 run at the 2025 Federation Cup, it was enough to secure gold in Dubai. Amlan Borgohain, the former national record holder, finished fifth with a timing of 21.08 seconds. The meet offered a promising outlook for Indian athletics as the country's top runners build momentum ahead of a crucial international season.
