Mohammed Afsal sets new national record in 800m in Poland

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 Memoriał Czesława Cybulskiego in Poznań, 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.