Vishal Thennarasu Shatters National Record in 400m

Chennai, Aug 21 (PTI) - Tamil Nadu's rising star, Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi, set the athletics world abuzz by shattering the men’s 400m national record at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships on Thursday. The young quarter-miler clocked an impressive 45.12 seconds to clinch the gold medal on the second day of the competition, solidifying his position as India’s top 400m runner. The 21-year-old athlete left his competitors far behind, breaking the previous national record of 45.21 seconds, held by Muhammed Anas since 2029. Vishal's remarkable performance in Chennai marked a new personal best, improving on his previous time of 45.57 seconds, achieved during the Asian Championships held in South Korea earlier this year. In that championship, he had already made his mark by contributing to India's triumphs in the mixed 4x400m relay and the men’s 4x400m relay, where the teams secured gold and silver, respectively. With his latest feat, Vishal emerged as the fourth fastest Asian 400m runner of the current season, trailing only Japan's Yuki Joseph Nakajima, Qatar's Ammar Ismail Ibrahim, and China’s Liukai Liu. However, his time fell short of the automatic qualification standard for the World Championships, set at 44.85 seconds. In the same race, Tamil Nadu’s seasoned athlete, Rajesh Ramesh, took the silver with a time of 46.04 seconds, while Haryana’s Vikrant Panchal finished third at 46.17 seconds. Vishal's meteoric rise in athletics is noteworthy, considering he only started his individual 400m journey in 2024, achieving a best of 46.77 seconds that year. By 2026, he had become the nation’s leading quarter-miler, claiming the Federation Cup National Championships title in April with a 46.19-second finish. One of his standout moments came earlier this month on August 10, when he secured 400m gold in the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze meet in Bhubaneswar, clocking 45.72 seconds.