Accidental steeplechase runner Mohammed Nur Hasan qualifies for Asian Athletics Championship

During his formative years of middle-distance running, Mohammed Nur Hasan was reluctant to practice for steeplechase races as he was apprehensive about getting hurt while crossing the barrier.

Competitors in the senior men’s 3000m steeplechase event have to negotiate seven water jumps and 28 fixed hurdles. At the junior level, the distance is 2000m.

Seven years later, the promising athlete from Mau became India’s second-fastest 3000m steeplechase runner. Olympian Avinash Sable is the leading steeplechase runner and holds the national record of 8:11.20 seconds.

At the just concluded 26th National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championship in Ranchi, Hasan clocked 8:30.56 seconds on his way to winning gold. He thus easily cleared the Asian Athletics Championship qualification mark of 8:40.

“I’m happy to have qualified for the Asian meet. It will be my first international competition,” the 21-year-old Indian Air Force athlete told Sportskeeda over the phone from Ranchi.

Hasan was an accidental runner. Hailing from the village Ratanpura of Mau district, son of a small-time farmer, he often escorted his elder brother whose task in the morning was to take out the family horse for exercise. Hasan’s family grooms horses for racing at the local village fair.

“When my brother took the horse for a trot, I preferred running alongside the horse. It was good fun,” Hasan recalls of his passion.

In 2015, Hasan joined the UP state government-run sports hostel in Etawah near Kanpur. It was in Etawah that he became acquainted with local athletics coach Rajesh Gaur, who advised him to try steeplechase.

Hasan says he was reluctant at first, saying he was nervous due to fear of getting hurt while crossing the water jumps. He enjoyed running 1500 and 3000m flat races.

Eventually, Hasan gave up as the local athletics coach in Etawah continued to persuade him to try steeplechase. Hasan’s first steeplechase gold was over a distance of 2000m in the U-18 national meet in 2017.

He went ahead to win the U-20 national title, over a distance of 3000m. In 2019, he joined the Indian Air Force under the sports quota scheme. However, he struggled at the senior level.

“I think there was something wrong with the way I was training,” Hasan was candid in saying.

Despite not being successful at the senior level, he didn’t quit or got disheartened, but continued to practice day in and out. There was a fluctuation in his performance graph in 2021 and 2022. But he took it in his stride, saying ups and downs are part of competitive sports.

"There are good days and there are bad days too," the national gold medalist said.

In 2021, his best time was 8:47 secs for the 3000m steeplechase and he was out of medal contention at the national level. His performance graph further dipped in 2022.

“I was clocking 8:50 or 9 minutes for the steeplechase race. I was confused,” Hasan said.

Hasan says he changed his workout on the advice from national coach Jaiveer Singh. “I have included tempo running in my weekly schedule. It paid off,” Hasan explained.

Based out of Bengaluru, Hasan practices at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex under OP Jaisha, a former international runner turned coach. According to Hasan, he is eagerly looking forward to the Asian athletics meet in July.

“I think I can further improve my time of 8:30.59 for the 3000m steeplechase,” Hasan added.