Ranchi, May 23: Indian athletics witnessed another historic moment at the in Ranchi as Vishal TK became the first Indian ever to run under 45 seconds in the men's 400m on Saturday (May 23).
A few minutes after created history by running 10.09s in the men's 100m final, the Tamil Nadu quartermiler stormed to a sensational 44.98s in the final at the Birsa Munda Stadium, rewriting his own national record and entering an elite club of global 400m runners.
In doing so, Vishal broke the previous national record of 45.12s, which he had set last year, and became the first Indian athlete in history to officially breach the iconic sub-45 barrier.
Historic Run by Vishal TK in Ranchi
Vishal produced a near-perfect race in the final, maintaining exceptional rhythm through the final bend before
powering home under the 45-second mark.
The timing marked one of the greatest performances ever produced by an Indian quartermiler.
However, despite the historic run, Vishal narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games qualification standard of 44.96s by just 0.02 seconds.
Still, the performance firmly established him among Asia's fastest quartermilers and underlined the rapid rise of Indian sprinting on the international stage.
Indian 400m Running Enters New Era
For years, the sub-45 barrier had remained one of Indian athletics' biggest unachieved milestones in the men's 400m.
Several top Indian runners had come close in the past, but nobody had officially crossed the mark until Vishal's extraordinary performance in Ranchi. His 44.98s now stands as the fastest timing ever recorded by an Indian in the men's one-lap event.
The race also highlighted the incredible depth emerging in Indian quarter-mile running. Rajesh Ramesh finished second with 45.31s, while rising youngster Jay Kumar continued his breakthrough season with another superb run of 45.47s to secure bronze.
Manu TS and Dharamveer Chaudhary also dipped well below 46 seconds in a high-quality final.
Men's 400m Final Results
🥇 Vishal TK - 44.98s (National Record)
🥈 Rajesh Ramesh - 45.31s
🥉 Jay Kumar - 45.47s
4️⃣ Manu TS - 45.70s
5️⃣ Dharamveer Chaudhary - 45.85s
Vishal TK's Historic Achievement
✅ First Indian ever to run sub-45 in men's 400m
✅ New National Record - 44.98s
✅ Broke previous NR of 45.12s
The Federation Cup 2026 has already witnessed multiple national records, but Vishal TK's sub-45 breakthrough could go down as one of the defining moments in Indian athletics history.
