Need to improve individual 400m timings, states Muhammad Anas

The Indian men’s 4*400m relay team created an Asian record in the heats at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, yet, failed to qualify for the medal round. They were trumped by Belgium, who clocked 2:59:37 in their heats to finish at the third spot and book tickets for the medal round. As per the Indian sprinter Muhammed Anas, who was part of the squad, the Tokyo performance was better than the one at the Rio Games or any other international tournament.

“In comparison to Rio (2016) and other international competitions, we performed well in Tokyo, broke the Asian record, which we are very happy about,” said Muhammad Anas, to Olympics.com.

However, the scene is far better in the continental stage, with Muhammed Anas winning a silver in the men’s 400m event, gold in 4x400m mixed relay, and silver in men’s 4x400m men’s relay event at the 2018 Asian Games. But, the athlete still feels that the sprinters in the Indian team need to improve their individual 400m timings and also participate in more international tournaments in the future.

“We need to participate in more international competitions. We need to improve our timing. We need to improve our individual 400m timing also,” added the Olympian.

As of now, there are no major events in this year, with the 2022 Commonwealth Games and then the 2022 Asian Games the two major upcoming assignments for the ace sprinter.