Muhammed ANAS

Anas joined a local sports club and though he was recognised as the fastest runner in the village, his mentor felt his tall frame was better suited to the long jump event.

The youngster emerged as a long jump champion at his school, but when the coaches in his higher secondary school suggested he take to the track again, Muhammed Anas was more than willing to return to his passion.

The move felt justified when he began winning medals at the district and state level; and when he won the 400m gold at the junior national championships in 2012, it gave him the opportunity to join a college where Kerala’s elite sports centre coach served as the athletics head.

Muhammed Anas won more medals for the Calicut University and at the 2015 National Games, he won the 4x400m relay silver for Kerala, after which the Indian Navy came calling, offering much needed financial stability.

At the 2016 senior nationals, Muhammed Anas clinched the 400m silver in his first attempt and broke the 46-second barrier at the Indian Grand Prix and Federation Cups that year for the first time, the wins proving to be big landmarks of his nascent career.

At the Polish Athletics Championships later that year, Muhammed Anas ran the 400m heats in 45.44 seconds, creating a new national record and then made the cut for Rio Olympics with a 45.40 second-effort in the final. He had broken the national record twice in three days.

He was also part of the then-national record-breaking 4x400m relay team that qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Muhammed Anas may have bowed out of Rio 2016 in the heats, but the stage of the Olympics and the experience of meeting childhood idol Usain Bolt gave him memories that will last a lifetime:

“The motivation from the event was amazing. I could meet all those international athletes I adore, including Usain Bolt. The experience and confidence international competitions give are unparalleled. My whole attitude towards sports changed with that exposure,” he stated in an interview.

The Indian sprinter enjoyed a stellar 2018, winning two silvers and a gold medal at the Asian Games. The gold came in the mixed 4x400m relay, where he, Hima Das, MR Poovamma and Arokia Rajiv combined to set the then-national record of 3:15.71 seconds in the discipline.

Later in the year, Muhammad Anas also came within a whisker of becoming the first Indian athlete since Milkha Singh to win a 400m bronze at the Commonwealth Games, though he did create another new national record in the event.

Muhammed Anas has since gone on to break the 400m national record twice. The record currently stands at 45.21 seconds.

The Indian government conferred him the Arjuna Award in recognition of his efforts in 2019.

Anas qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with the 4x400m mixed relay team after reaching the finals at the Doha World Championships late in 2019.

After the COVID-enforced break Muhammad Anas returned on the track to help the men’s 4x400m relay team secure a place at Tokyo 2020 as well.

Though neither of the teams made it past the heats at Tokyo, Muhammad Anas did return with a feat of note.

The Indian men’s 4x400m men’s relay team of Muhammed Anas, Noah Nirmal Tom, Arokia Rajiv and Amoj Jacob created the then-Asian record of 3:00.25 seconds. Still, the team fell narrowly short of making the cut for the finals.

The Asian record was rewritten to 2:59.51 by Japan at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene but a year later at the same championships in Budapest, Anas combined with Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh to reclaim the record with a timing of 2:59:05 during the heats.

The same Indian quartet clocked 3:01.58 at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou to win the gold medal.