Mohammed Afsal sets Indoor National Record in men's 800m at National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026
(Courtesy : @rfyouthsports/Instagram)
Afsal also holds the outdoor National Record in the event.
Mohammed Afsal P shattered the national indoor record in men’s 800m on the opening day of the 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The 30-year-old clocked a timing of 1:47.86s to clinch the gold medal. Enroute to the podium finish, Afsal set a new national indoor record, surpassing the previous best of 1:48.09, set by Pradeep Senthilkumar at the Razorback Invitational 2026 athletics meet in USA’s Fayetteville, Arkansas, in January this year.
Pradeep Senthilkumar first set the indoor national record of 1:48.73 in Columbia last year, surpassing Rajeev Ramesan’s record of 1:49.46 seconds, set in 2008. He then 1:48.60 seconds in February 2025, before bettering his record to 1:48.09 seconds at the same venue – the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
Afsal holds the outdoor national record in men’s 800m. He clocked 1:44.93 seconds at Memoriał Czesława Cybulskiego (Polish Meet) in July last year to better his own record.
His previous best in the event was 1:45.61 seconds, set at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in July 2025, breaking Jinson Johnson’s seven-year-old national record.
Karnataka’s Kalyan JR finished the 800m short track race in 1:53.98 seconds to bag the silver medal, while Sayan Karmakar from West Bengal clocked a timing of 1:56.98 seconds and won the bronze medal. Only three athletes competed in the men’s 800m event at the 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026.
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Uttar Pradesh’s Satyam Chauhan, Virender from Army, and Adarsh Kumar Maurya from Madhya Pradesh were expected to compete in the race. However, all three athletes did not start.
In the women’s 800m event, Madhya Pradesh’s Preet Yadav (2:11.83s) clinched the gold medal. Meanwhile, Laxmipriya Kisan took 2:13.20 seconds to finish the race and take home the silver medal.
1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026: Men’s 800m (Results)
- Mohammed Afsal P (Air Force) – 1:47.86s
- Kalyan JR (Karnataka) – 1:53.98s
- Sayan Karmakar (West Bengal) – 1:56.98s
- Satyam Chauhan (Uttar Pradesh) – DNS
- Virender (Army) – DNS
- Adarsh Kumar Maurya (Madhya Pradesh) – DNS
Who won the men’s 800m in 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026?
Mohammed Afsal won the event with a National Record timing of 1:47.86s.
What record did Mohammed Afsal set in men’s 800m at 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026?
He set a new National Record in the event with his timing of 1:47.86s.
Who were the medallists in men’s 800m at 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026?
Gold: Mohammed Afsal P (Air Force) – 1:47.86s, Silver: Kalyan JR (Karnataka) – 1:53.98s, Bronze: Sayan Karmakar (West Bengal) – 1:56.98s
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Farzan is a journalist at Khel Now covering Indian Olympic sports and kabaddi. With five years of experience working with major sports organizations like Chennaiyin FC, Dabang Delhi K.C., Rajasthan Royals, and Yuva Kabaddi Series, he brings diverse expertise. Farzan has covered two Olympics, one Commonwealth Games, and one Asian Games, making his knowledge of Indian sports broad and versatile.