There’s no doubt that several athletes made the entire nation emotional last evening with their massive wins. While Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal with a massive throw of 88.17 meters in the men’s javelin final, the men’s 4x400m relay team secured fifth position in the final race.
Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh – the men’s relay team – broke the Asian record by clocking in at 2:59.05 seconds. The last record was of 2:59.51 seconds and was held by Japan.
As we celebrate these athletes for their brilliant achievement, we have listed down everything to know about them. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Seaman Muhammed Anas Yahiya
Born on 17 September 1994 in Nilamel, he was trained in the long jump and changed to 400 metres, when his school team was looking for a last-minute replacement. He later represented his university, Sree Krishna College, at the national level.
In 2016, he broke the national 400-meter record at the Polish Athletics Championships, clocking 45.40 seconds. Also, he was the third Indian athlete to qualify for this event, after Milkha Singh and KM Binu. In 2018, he bagged two silver medals and a gold medal in Asian Games. At The Commonwealth Games (2018), he secured the fourth position in the 400-metre race.
PA Amoj Jacob
Born on 2 May 1998, he was a part of the team that bagged a gold medal in the 4 × 400 meters race at the Asian Athletics Championships (2017) – the first at the event since Seoul 1975. In 2020, he competed in the race where the team broke the Asian and national records at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2021, he bagged the gold medal in the 400-meter race at the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships.
Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi
Born on June 1, 1998, in Palakkad, he entered the sports world by playing football. Later, he switched to 100 meters and then, finally mastered 400-metre sprinting. In 2022, he emerged as the Indian champion in the 4×400 meter relay and in the mixed relay. In 2023, he ran the 400-meter race in 45.51 seconds and bagged the gold medal at The Indian Championships, in Bhubaneshwar.
Rajesh Ramesh
Born in Tamil Nadu in 1999, the youngest member of the team was working as a ticket checker at the Trichy Railway Station in 2020. In 2018, he secured the sixth position in the 4×400-metre race at the Asian Junior Championships. In April 2022, he bagged a gold medal in the National Federation Cup held in Thenhipalam, Kerala. In June 2022, he bagged the fourth position in the semi-final round of the 400-meter sprint and won gold. In October 2022, he won a silver and a bronze in the 36th National Games. At the National Open Athletics Championships, he secured a gold medal in the 400-meter sprint and in the 4×400-meter relay race in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
These players prove that hard work is the key to success!