Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi
 Vishal in 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname | Stick Man | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 December 2003 Jolarpettai, Tamil Nadu, India | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
Event | 400 m | |||||||||||||||||
| Coached by |  Jason Dawson | |||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | 44.98 NR (2026) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi (born 17 December 2003) is an Indian sprinter who specialises in 400 m events. He has won gold medal in the mixed 4x400 m relay and silver medal in the 4x400 m relay at the 2025 Asian Championships.
Early life
Vishal was born on 17 December 2003 in Jolarpettai, Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Thennarasu, was a football player who represented Tamil Nadu for several years and introduced him to sports from a young age. His mother is Kayalvizhi and he has a younger sister. At the age of 10, he left home and moved to Chennai to train at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.[1] He studied at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology.[2]
Career
Vishal made his international debut at the 2025 World Relays in Guangzhou, in the men's and mixed 4×400 m relays. The men's team recorded a season's best of 3:03.92 and the mixed relay team clocked 3:14.81.[3][4] At the 2025 Asian Championships in Gumi, he finished fourth in the 400 m with a time of 45.57. He played a key role in the relay teams, winning gold in the mixed 4×400 m relay with a timing of 3:18.12 and silver in the men's 4×400 m relay with a timing of 3:03.67.[5][6] At the 2025 World University Games in Bochum, he was a member of the men's and mixed 4×400 m relay teams. The men's team finished fifth in the final with a time of 3:06.56, while the mixed relay team placed fourth in 3:18.40, narrowly missing out on a medal.[7][8] At the inaugural 2025 Indian Open (World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour) in Bhubaneswar, he won the 400 m with a time of 45.72 and finished second in the 4x400 m relay.[9] At the 2025 National Inter-State Championships in Chennai, he broke the 400 m national record with a time of 45.12.[10]
At the 2026 World Relays in Gaborone, Vishal was a member of the men's 4×400 m relay team which clocked a season's best of 3:00.32 in the heats and recorded a DNF in the repechage round.[11] At the 2026 National Federation Cup in Ranchi, he set the new 400 m national record clocking 44.98, becoming the first Indian man to run below 45 seconds.[12] At the 2026 Commonwealth Games, in the 400 m he clocked 46.49 in the heats and 46.33 in the semifinal, and did not advance to the final.[13] He also competed in the mixed 4×400 m relay, with the team finishing sixth in the final with a timing of 3:20.32.[14]
References
- ↑ Sharma, Medha (30 July 2026). "Commonwealth Games 2026: Who is Vishal TK?". The Bridge.
- ↑ "Vishal T K". Athletics India.
- ↑ Nalwala, Ali Asgar (10 May 2025). "World Athletics Relays 2025: Indian teams fail to secure Tokyo 25 berths on opening day". Olympics.
- ↑ Nalwala, Ali Asgar (11 May 2025). "World Athletics Relays 2025: India's 4x400m teams miss World Championships cut at Guangzhou". Olympics.
- ↑ "Vishal shows mental strength en route mixed relay gold in Asian Athletics". The Times of India. 29 May 2025. ISSN 0971-8257.
- ↑ "India in 4x400m relay: Women clinch gold, men finish silver in Asian Championships". India Today. 30 May 2025.
- ↑ "FISU World University Games | Men's 4x400 Metres Relay". World Athletics.
- ↑ "FISU World University Games | Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay". World Athletics.
- ↑ Pitts, Andre (10 August 2025). "Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour". Olympics.
- ↑ "Vishal breaks men's 400m national record, hogs limelight at Nationals". Press Trust of India. 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "World Athletics Relays | Men's 4x400 Metres Relay". World Athletics.
- ↑ Lall Seal, Arnab (27 May 2026). "From Jolarpettai to sub‑45: Vishal TK runs into history". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257.
- ↑ "Vishal TK's Commonwealth Games campaign ends in 400 m semifinals". Athletics India. 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "CWG 2026: India finishes sixth in Mixed 4x400m relay final". Sportstar. 2 August 2026.
External links
- Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi at World Athletics
- Vishal Thennarasu at Athletics Podium
- Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi at InterSportStats
- Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
- Vishal TK on Instagram