National junior champion Mohammed Ashfaq showed great form at the Junior Federation Cup in Tumkur, Karnataka.
He finished first in his heat of the men’s U-20 400m, clocking 47.39 seconds. This timing was not just the fastest in his heat—it was the fastest among all 10 heats in the event.
More importantly, Ashfaq crossed the qualification mark of 47.53 seconds, confirming his place for the Asian U-20 Championships.
Other athletes like Ranjith Kumar (47.70s) and Abhay Dubey (47.83s) also ran well, but they could not meet the qualification standard. Ashfaq was the only runner to achieve it.
He will now compete in the semi-final (Heat 1) at 5:20 PM today, carrying strong momentum.
Ashfaq’s 2026 season shows clear improvement. He started the year at the Indian Open 400m in Trivandrum, finishing 8th with 48.10s.
Later, at the Indian Athletics Series-3 in New Delhi, he won the final with an impressive 46.83s. This steady progress highlights his growing confidence and form.
Last year was even better for the young athlete.
Silver medal – 400m
Silver medal – Men’s 4x400m relay
Gold medal – Mixed 4x400m relay
At the South Asian Athletics Championships, he also clocked a personal best of 46.56s in the 400m.
He also became the U-20 National Champion in Bhubaneswar with a time of 46.86s.
With his qualification now secured, Mohammed Ashfaq is set to compete at his first international championship.