Mumbai: Mohammed Afsal Pulikkalakath became the first Indian runner to break the 1:45 barrier in men's 800m, clocking 1:44.93 and smashing his own national record in the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poznan, Poland on Saturday.
Afsal, who won a silver medal in men's 800m in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, finished sixth in Heat A/1 of the event with his personal best timing of 1:44.93. With this, Mohammed Afsal improved on the previous mark of 1:45.61 set by himself at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai in 2025.
The first three spots in the race were taken by Polish runners with Maciel Wyderka winning the A/1 Heat with a time of 1,44:23, which is his personal best and also the Meet Record. Filip Ostrowski came second in 1.44:25 while his compatriot Patryk Sieradzki ended third in 1.44:26.
The 29-year-old Afsal, who won a silver medal in the men's 800m in the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu, Nepal, hails from Palappuram in Palakkad district of Kerala. In recent times, he has been with the Reliance Foundation, training in Bengaluru. Agencies
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