![\"Fasalul](\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/theme\/images\/th-online\/1x1_spacer.png\" "\\"Fasalul")
<\/picture><\/div>\nA false start, a steady drizzle coupled with a mild breeze and cool conditions. And if that wasn\u2019t enough, Keralam\u2019s C.K. Fasalul Haque fell behind midway through the race before recovering to claim gold in the under-20 men\u2019s 110m hurdles at the 41st National junior athletics championships at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The clock read 13.70 seconds, but it wasn\u2019t quite the timing he had hoped for.<\/p>\n
Fasalul knows what it takes to set a record, having clocked 13.61s in Pune in June to establish a new national under-20 mark. And despite winning gold, there was a hint of disappointment, for he had come hoping to better his own record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was expecting to clock 13.40. I got a good lead, but in between, I hit a hurdle. I don\u2019t know what happened after that,\u201d Fasalul told The Hindu<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The weather, too, had a bearing on his performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Pune, the conditions were nice. I had a good warm-up and my body was warm. Today, I was feeling cold and couldn\u2019t warm up properly,\u201d said the 18-year-old.<\/p>\n
Hailing from Malappuram, Fasalul took up athletics at the age of 15, starting with the 100m before his first coach encouraged him to try his hand at hurdles.<\/p>\n
The transition to the higher hurdles in the u-20 category initially proved challenging, but Fasalul said he became comfortable with the height after a couple of months.<\/p>\n
Unlike the 100m, where a poor start can prove costly, Fasalul believes the hurdles offer him an opportunity to recover lost ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t usually get good starts. I start pushing after the fifth or sixth hurdle. Even today, I was behind around 50 to 60 metres, but I managed to come back\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
For now, the youngster has his sights set on another mark, this time at the senior level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to run below 13 seconds at the senior level and become the first Indian to do it. I\u2019m 100 per cent sure I can\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n