NewKerala.com

Pradeep Senthilkumar Shatters Own 800m Indoor National Record in USA

Indian middle-distance runner Pradeep Senthilkumar set a new national record in the men's 800m indoor event with a time of 1:48.09 seconds at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville. The 22-year-old bettered his own previous mark of 1:48.60s, set at the same venue last year. This achievement marks the third time Senthilkumar has broken the Indian indoor record for this distance. The Chennai-born athlete also holds the national indoor record for the 600m event.

Key Points: Pradeep Senthilkumar Breaks Indian 800m Indoor Record

  • Broke his own previous record
  • Seventh-place finish at Razorback Invitational
  • Third time breaking the 800m indoor record
  • Also holds the 600m indoor national record
2 min read

Pradeep Senthilkumar betters his 800 m track indoor national record in Fayetteville

Indian athlete Pradeep Senthilkumar clocks 1:48.09s to set a new national men's 800m indoor record at the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas.

"He could take a flight back to India with a fresh national record to his name - Olympics.com"

Fayetteville, January 31

India's Pradeep Senthilkumar broke the national men's 800 metre short track indoor record during the Razorback Invitational 2026 held at Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday.

The 22-year-old clocked 1:48.09s to outdo his own previous best of 1:48.60s made during February last year at the same venue. He finished seventh in the competition, but nonetheless, he could take a flight back to India with a fresh national record to his name, as per Olympics.com.

Pradeep achieved a second-place finish in the Heat 3 and had seventh place finish in the field. Jams Harding (1:46.83), Elliott Cook (1:46.94) and Matthew Erickson (1:47.26) took the podium spots in the race.

The Razorback Invitational is a category F event, coming under national permit competitions in the World Athletics Calendar.

This marks the third time Pradeep has broken the 800 m indoor national record. First time, he took the possession of record last year with mark of 1:48.73s in Columbia, Missouri, going past Rajeev Ramesan's record of 1:49.46 made way back in 2008.

This outing in Fayetteville marks Senthilkumar's second competitive outing of the season, after having competed in the Thane Baker Invitational in Manhattan on January 16, where he took part in the 600-yard short track event and the 4x400m relay short track events.

The Chennai-born athlete also holds the men's 600 m indoor national record, having clocked 1:17.71s just last year.

The 800 m outdoor men's record for India is held by Mohammed Afsal, who clocked the speed of 1:44.93s at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poland last year.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So proud of our athletes! Breaking his own record three times shows incredible dedication. Hope he gets the right support and training to close the gap with the international timings. The future looks bright for Indian middle-distance running.
V
Vikram M
Great effort, but we need to be realistic. 7th place and still over a second behind the winner in a "national permit" event. Our focus should be on bridging this gap, not just celebrating national records. More international exposure is needed.
S
Sarah B
As a track fan, it's exciting to see an athlete own a national record like this. Three improvements in a year is no small feat. The progression from 1:48.73 to 1:48.09 is solid. Keep grinding, Pradeep!
R
Rohit P
Chennai boy making us proud! 🎉 Holding both 800m and 600m indoor records is seriously impressive. Hope SAI and the federation provide him with a long-term plan targeting the Asian Games and beyond.
M
Michael C
Interesting to see the comparison with the outdoor record (1:44.93). Indoor tracks are different, but that's the ultimate benchmark. If he can translate this indoor form to outdoors, we might see something special.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50