Dubai, May 10 -- Mohammed Afsal rewrote the Indian national record in the men's 800m event at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix 2025, held at the Dubai Police Club Stadium on Saturday.
The 29-year-old middle-distance runner clocked 1 minute 45.61 seconds to finish second in a competitive 10-man field. His timing eclipsed the previous national mark of 1:45.65, set by Jinson Johnson at the 2018 National Inter-State Championships in Guwahati, by a margin of 0.04 seconds. The new record is subject to ratification by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
Kenya's Nicholas Kiplagat won the race in 1:45.38 while Christopher Swart of South Africa finished third with a time of 1:45.84.
Afsal, who had claimed silver at the 2023 Asian Games with a 1:4...