The country's star sprinter Mohammed Ajmal, hailing from Kerala, has qualified for the Paris Olympics in the 4x400m category. He achieved this feat during the World Athletics Relays held in Bahamas. 24-year-old Indian track and field athlete Mohammed Ajmal specializes in the 400m sprint. His motto is simple: “Listen to the bang and just run.” Gradually making his mark on the national scene, he aspires to move forward and achieve significant success in the international arena. His goal is to break the national record of 45.21 seconds of another athlete from Kerala, Mohammed Anas.
Born on 1 June 1998 in Palakkad, Kerala, Mohammed Ajmal grew up in Palakkad and began his sporting journey as a football player. He participated at the under-19 state level in football until his coach Nandakumar Sir advised him to shift his focus to running. This was the beginning of Ajmal's transition from a 100m sprinter to his current role as a 400m sprinter. Indian athlete Mohammed Ajmal originally started out as a 100m sprinter but eventually moved to the 400m category under the guidance of his coaches.
In his first 400m race, he clocked an impressive time of 46.91 seconds, winning the gold medal at the National Services Championships held in Bhubaneswar. Talking about his transition in an interview, Mohammad Ajmal said, “In India, there is a higher chance of competing in international events in 400m. Otherwise, you have to be exceptional as a sprinter to make it to the 100m.” His goal is to break the national record set by another athlete from Kerala, Mohammad Anas, who clocked 45.21 seconds.
Ajmal finished third with a time of 46.04 seconds at the 7th International Sprint and Relay Cup held at Ataturk University Stadium in Turkey. In 2021, he won the gold medal at the Inter-Services Championship with a time of 46.91 seconds. He made a great start to 2022 by winning the gold medal at the Indian Grand Prix in 46.78 seconds. He followed up his success with a silver medal at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship. There he improved his time to 46.48 seconds. Ajmal is now dedicated to performing well at the Commonwealth and Asian Games to be held later this year. Mohammad Ajmal has emerged victorious at the National Athletics Championship twice. He secured the gold medal at the Indian Grand Prix in the year 2022. In 2021, he earned a gold medal at the National Federation Cup.
