KOCHI: These are good times for Muhammad Anas Yahiya, as he is in the news for all the right reasons. Last month, the quartermiler grabbed headlines for re-writing his own 400m national record at Kladno international meet in Czech Republic. This time, the 24-year-old is in the news again after getting recommended for the Arjuna Award by a 12-member selection committee.He is among the 18 others who have been recommended for the award by the committee, which also includes the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Anas, who is currently training in Czech Republic, decided to dedicate this accolade to the flood victims in his home state of Kerala. “The people of Kerala are going through a lot of hardships because of the terrible floods that have hit the state. They are on the road to recovery and I would like to share this with them. I also congratulate others who won the award because it is also a recognition of their hard work,” he said.
Anas will not feature in the National Inter-State Athletics Championship, which will be held in Lucknow from August 27 to 30. Although he will be a notable absentee, his younger brother Mohammed Anees will feature in the event. The elder brother even thanked Anees for his latest recognition.
“It is a big honour for me and I thank everyone who has trained me and made this possible. I also thank my mother and my brother. This goes out to all my family members, friends, those who helped in my formative years during my school and college days and to all the sports lovers in the country,” he said.At the moment, Anas’ attention is firmly fixed on Olympic qualification, as he is gearing up for IAAF World Championship in September. He had bettered his own national record from 45.24s to 45.21s, which booked his place in the event for which the entry standard is 45.30s.
Besides qualifying for his second straight Olympics, a podium finish is also on the agenda for Anas at the World Championship. He said that preparations are going well ahead of the big event, and it appears that he is hitting top form at the right time.