KOCHI: Muhammed Anas is hoping that he can finally compete in an international meet as the quarter-miler is among the select few Indian athletes who are set to travel to Kyrgyzstan in a few days' time.
The elite quarter-miler was left disappointed after Indian athletes were prevented from travelling to Poland for the World Athletics Relays last month as many European countries had imposed a ban on flights from India due to the COVID-19 situation.
He hopes that there won’t be any last-minute issues this time around as he is set to compete in an international meet after a long time. "I've taken my first dose of the COVID vaccine and got the visa to be ready to travel. And I feel like I'm in good shape. It's all good to go. Let’s hope that there are no last-minute interruptions like last time. That was tough to take because we were all really looking forward to it and then it fell through at the last minute," Anas told The New Indian Express.
The competition in Kyrgyzstan is set to be held on June 12 and 13 and Anas is then expected to head to Kazakhstan to participate in the Qosanov Memorial in Almaty on June 19-20. "These events will be very crucial and we are going to compete after almost a year in international meets. So I’m really looking forward to it," he said.
While the Indian mixed relay team has already qualified for the Olympics, the 4x400m men’s team still hasn't consolidated its spot. India is currently in the 14th spot in the Road to Tokyo rankings and the top-16 make the cut.
"We (men's team) have to put up a strong show and that is something I am looking forward to," said Anas.
He and the select few elite athletes are expected to head out on June 9 or 10. And this time, the 26-year-old is confident that everything will go according to plan.