Assam's Mehedi Hassan secures gold in National Athletics Championship

Assam sprinter Mehedi Hassan clinched the gold medal in the men's 1500-meter run at the recently concluded 27th National Federation Senior Athletics Competition held in Odisha. Hassan's remarkable performance secured the top spot with a timing of 3:42:82, nearly a second ahead of Madhya Pradesh's Abhishek Singh Thakur, who secured the second position. Yoonus Shah from Uttar Pradesh completed the podium, securing the third position.

The prestigious athletics event took place at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha's capital, spanning three days from May 12 to May 15. Organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), it showcased the country's top athletic talent competing in various disciplines.

Last year, Mehedi Hassan, a native of North Athiabari near Barpeta Road in Assam, clinched a bronze medal in the men's 1500-meter sprint event at the Asian U20 Athletics Championship held in South Korea's Yecheon. His outstanding achievement was recognized by the Assam Athletics Association (AAA), which felicitated him for his stellar performance. Assam's Sports Minister, Nandita Gorlosa, also honored him at a ceremony held in a hotel in Guwahati.

The felicitation ceremony was attended by esteemed personalities including Gitartha Goswami, Member Secretary of the State Level Advisory Committee for Students and Youth Welfare; Hemanta Kalita, Secretary General of the Boxing Federation of India; Lakhya Konwar and Ashok Bharali, President and General Secretary of AAA; Pradeep Timung, Director of Sports and Youth Welfare, along with Mehedi's father, Abul Kalam Azad.

Expressing his gratitude, Mehedi Hassan remarked, "I want to thank Assam Athletics Association for the recognition and felicitation bestowed upon me today. At the same time, I want to thank all my coaches for their constant support and guidance towards enhancing my performance."

Hassan's journey to success began at the Sarusajai Sports Complex under the mentorship of coaches Nipon Das and Nabajit Malakar before moving to Kolkata to further hone his skills. Despite facing setbacks due to injuries, Hassan persevered, driven by the unwavering support of his coaches and family members.