Guwahati: Depression and thoughts of quitting the sport crossed Assam’s latest track sensation Mehdi Hasan’s mind every time he picked an injury before a major competition. Fresh from a bronze-medal winning performance in men’s 1500m event at the Asian Under-20 Athletics Championships, the youngster escaped a bout of dehydration before finishing on the podium in Yecheon, South Korea, earlier this month.
He clocked an impressive time of 3.56.01s to finish third in Korea.
Running is in Mehdi’s DNA. His father Abul Kalam Azad, a Havaldar in the CRPF, was a state-level runner. Though Mehdi wanted to be a sprinter initially, his 6’1’’ frame did not let him succeed in the short distance races (100m & 200m).
Right track
On break from his duty in Chhattisgarh in 2017, Abul found Mehdi, the eldest of his three children, a promising prospect in track events. After discussing with his better-half Hasina Khatum, Abul decided to enrol Mehdi in Guwahati’s Sarusajai Stadium under the watchful eyes of acclaimed coaches Nipon Das and Nabajit Malakar, the duo credited for the growth of sprint star Hima Das.
“I still remember that morning when I was brought to the Sarusajai Stadium, and both Nipon sir and Nabajit sir agreed to coach me. I hardly had any idea on my event, and started with sprint events. But gradually the coaches found I was more suited for the middle distance races because of my height,” Mehdi told EastMojo.
“I won a gold medal at the district level U-14 competition and since then started developing interest in the 800m event, and later in 1500m. I participated at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati with high hopes, but failed to advance after the heats. That was a big humiliation for me, and thereafter, for better prospects, Nabajit sir helped me move to Kolkata for a training stint under Kalyan Chaudhuri. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck resulting in a nationwide lockdown, I along with a few other athletes contacted RB Subba in Gangtok, to continue with our training,” said the youngster hailing from North Athiabari near Barpeta Road.
“He readily agreed to help us train in the high-altitude terrain in Gangtok, and I spent the entire first phase in Sikkim. The decision to train in Sikkim was right as I attained full fitness and got game ready before returning to Kolkata once the lockdown ended. I once again moved back to Sikkim during the second phase,” he added.
Setback
Once the first phase of the lockdown was eased, Mehdi was well prepared for the 32nd East Zone Junior Athletics Championship in Guwahati in December 2020. However, days before the competition, Mehdi fractured his ankle, and that hit him hard, not just physically, but also mentally.
“It was the toughest phase, can call it the lowest too. I was fully prepared, trained hard, and did all I could before the ankle twist threw cold water on my dreams. It was a big setback for me personally, and all of a sudden I slipped into depression,” he said.
During that phase, Mehdi said his father kept supporting his dreams firmly and persuaded him to continue with the sport.
“I was even mulling quitting the sport as the doctor advised me six months of rest and I missed two consecutive editions of the Under-18 nationals. But it was my father who kept pushing me, and wanted me back on the track. I will be forever grateful for his persistence,” he said before revealing that he was advised by Chaudhuri to train under Anupama Srivastava at the Tatya Tope Stadium in Bhopal.
Comeback
It was almost a re-birth for the middle distance runner as Mehdi bounced back in style after training under Srivastava for merely a month and a half, and went on to smash personal best figures in 800m in the next three competitions on his comeback. He first participated at the state meet in Guwahati, where he clocked 1:56 before bettering it to 1:55 at the 33rd East Zone junior athletics championships in Patna in September 2022. He returned to Bhopal for a couple of months and emerged stronger to better his personal best to 1:53 at the 37th National Junior Athletics Championships, held in Guwahati in December 2022.
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“After returning to Bhopal, Anupama ma’am wanted me to prepare for the Asian U-20 championship trials, and expressed her confidence in my ability to qualify for the continental event. While my main event was the 800m race, my coach advised me to focus on the heats of the 1,500m so that I could be well prepared for 800m. And in the heats, I recorded the fastest time among 48 contenders to qualify for the event in Korea,” he explained in detail, while revealing that he had set a new PB of 1:51 in 800m during the trials held in Tamil Nadu.
Mehdi has no hesitation in admitting that the outcome in Korea has made him reconsider making the 1,500m his pet event. “I still love the 800m event. There is a craze in the group for the 1500m event, and I want to make a name for myself in the event.”
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