Here all you need to know about the history makers, the India 4x400m relay team that broke the Asian record time at the World Athletics Championships and the name of the members list
At the Budapest World Athletics Championships on Saturday, India created history. The Indian team not only placed second in the first heat of the qualifying round for the final on Sunday, but they also did it by setting a new Asian record for timing.
India 4x400m men’s relay team members name full list and Asian national record time
Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, and Rajesh Ramesh’s team set a new Asian record by finishing the race in 2 minutes, 59.05 seconds, breaking Japan’s previous mark of 2:59.51. Additionally, it beat the previous Indian record of 3:00.25 by more than a second.
Here is a closer look at each of the athletes who participated in this outstanding feat.
Who is Muhammed Anas Yahiya?
Muhammad Anas Yahiya was born in Nilamel, Kerala, in 1994. An athlete who initially focused on long jumping, Anas switched to 400-meter running when he was in school and thrived. Anas has triumphed in a variety of competitions, taking home four gold and three silver medals for both teams and individuals. In the Sunday final, he’ll be trying to increase his collection of medals from the World Athletics Championship.
Who is Amoj Jacob?
PA Amoj Jacob, a 400 and 800 metre track specialist, was born in Delhi in 1998. Jacob won two medals at the 2016 Asian Junior Championships: a gold in the 800-meter individual competition and a silver in the 4×400-meter relay team competition.
At the tender age of 19, he was chosen to represent India at the Asian Championships in Bhubaneshwar in 2017. He participated in the 4x400m relay with Anas, which brought India its first gold medal since the competition’s inception in 1975. This was Jacob’s second time being a part of a team that broke a record; he had previously helped set the previous Indian national record timing of 3:00.25 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Who is Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi?
Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi, who was born in Palakkad, Kerala, in 1998, started playing football at a young age and even represented his nation at the U19 level. At the advice of his coaches, Ajmal switched to the 100-meter run before deciding on the 400-meter race as his specialty.
Ajmal has been on the verge of breaking out at the international level because to his triumphs in various national contests. At the Indian Championships in Bhubaneshwar in June 2023, he won the 400-meter race in 45.51 seconds, just missing Anas’ 45.24-second national record. In interviews, Ajmal has said that his immediate goal is to smash the 400-meter record.
Who is Rajesh Ramesh?
Rajesh Ramesh, a member of the Indian 4x400m team who was born in 1999 and is the youngest, may have the most motivational backstory of all.
After playing in the U20 World Championships in 2018, his career was cut short by injuries and the Covid-19 pandemic. Ramesh worked as a ticket checker at the Trichy train station in 2020 for Railways, the business he was then a representative of.
Ramesh persisted in the face of challenges and, to kick off his comeback, beat Anas’ time in the 400-meter event in the Federation Cup earlier this year. His career’s initial trajectory seems far removed from breaking the Asian record today.