New Record! Mohammed Afsal creates historical past, breaks 7-year-old 800m national record at UAE Athletics Grand Prix | More sports News

NEW DELHI: India’s middle-distance runner Mohammed Afsal scripted historical past on Friday by breaking the long-standing males’s 800m national record at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. The 29-year-old clocked a formidable 1:45.61s to surpass the earlier record of 1:45.65s set by Jinson Johnson in 2018.Afsal’s efficiency earned him a second-place end at the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level meet, held at the Dubai Police Stadium.He was narrowly edged out by Kenya’s Nicholas Kiplagat, who gained the race with a time of 1:45.38.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!While Afsal’s timing fell simply in need of the 2025 World Athletics Championships computerized qualification mark of 1:44.50, it marked a big enchancment in his private finest and reaffirmed his standing as considered one of India’s prime 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, one other Indian national record holder, Animesh Kujur, continued his advantageous kind by successful the boys’s 200m in 20.45 seconds. Although barely slower than his record-breaking 20.40 run at the 2025 Federation Cup, it was sufficient to safe gold in Dubai. Amlan Borgohain, the previous national record holder, completed fifth with a timing of 21.08 seconds.The meet provided a promising outlook for Indian athletics because the nation’s prime runners construct momentum forward of an important worldwide season.