TK Vishal breaks national record in men’s 400m at Inter-State championships

Chennai: While the spotlight was on athletes vying for World Championships qualification, the men’s 400m event delivered a surprise at the National Inter-State Athletics meet here on Thursday. TK Vishal from Tamil Nadu shattered the six-year-old national record, clocking 45.12s and surpassing the 45.21s mark, set by Muhammed Anas Yahiya. Soon after the race, Vishal looked at the big screen and rushed to hug his father. On his bib, the 22-year-old had written: “For my coach Jason,” which he showed to the camerapersons with pride. It reflected the bond he shares with Jason Dawson, the men’s 400m relay coach.What is noteworthy is that he shifted from sprint to 400m just over a year ago and joined the national camp under Jason in December. “I see this as a reward for my hard work. My coach told me to be mentally prepared for the race, and I let go of all the nerves; this is why I was able to set a national record. I am in this position because of my coach,” Vishal said.“I was working hard to align with his (Jason’s) mindset, and although I did not know if I would get the desired results, I trusted him and believed I would do well,” Vishal added.The quarter-miler did not have the brightest of starts after he took up 400m, but it did not deter him. This season, Vishal has breached the 46s-mark five times and has shown good consistency. “The recent training stint in Poland played a vital role in my progress. We need to train and participate in competitions abroad and that would help us progress.”Jamaica’s Jason was full of praise for his ward. “Vishal is a new athlete and what he brings to the table is something that I have been asking the older athletes for. He is a level-headed person, and one thing is that he challenges me,” the coach said.Jason appeared to be disappointed with the news which came out last year that he had a rift with athletes for overtraining them for the Paris Olympics. The national coach also added that he faces a lot of interference in training and would like for that to stop. “Presently, I do not have an assistant coach, and I chose that because I want people to work with me and not against me. It does not matter who you are, you are here to develop and do not let your ego get in the way.The biggest problem since I arrived in India is that I had other coaches’ interference...As far as Vishal’s previous coach is concerned, he did not do that,” Jason added. Meanwhile, in women’s 1500m, Pooja clinched gold after clocking 4:10.68. The performance will help her climb close to the top-50 in the ‘Road to Tokyo’ standings (top-56 qualify) and she might have a chance to qualify for the Worlds.