Amoj Jacob is an Indian track and field athlete who is well-known for his participation in 400 m, 800 m, and relay events. He won a gold medal in the men’s 400 meters event at the 21st Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championship in March 2021 with a time of 45.68 seconds. Amoj Jacob booked his position in the relay team for the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, England.
Wiki/Biography
Amoj Jacob aka P. A. Amoj Jacob was born on Saturday, 2 May 1998 (age 24 years; as of 2022) in Thellakam, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He completed his bachelor’s degree in commerce from Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, New Delhi, India. After completing his graduation, Amoj started pursuing a Bachelor of Physical Education degree from Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab.
Amoj Jacob’s childhood picture with his parents
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Amoj Jacob belongs to a Christian family.
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information available about Amoj’s father. His mother’s name is Mary Kutty, a head nurse at the Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in New Delhi.
Amoj Jacob with his parents
He has a younger sister, Ansu Jacob.
Amoj Jacob’s sister, Ansu Jacob
Career
Amoj Jacob started his career as a 100m sprinter, but his coach Arvind Kapoor advised him to train himself for 400m and 800m running events. On 5 May 2016, he won the boy’s 800m event at the 4th Junior Federation Cup National Athletics Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Amoj Jacob at the 4th Junior Federation Cup National Athletics Championship
In June 2016, Amoj took part in Asian Junior Championship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In July 2017, he competed in the 4x400m relay event at the Asian Athletics Championships at Bhubneshwar along with his teammates Kunhu Muhammed, Arokia Rajiv, and Mohammad Anas with a reported timing of 3:02.92. On 18 November 2017, he participated in the junior boy’s U20 400m event with a timing of 46.59 seconds at the 33rd Coromandel National Junior Athletic Championship 2017 held at the Acharya Nagarjuna University athletics ground in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
Amoj Jacob (centre) at the 33rd Coromandel National Junior Athletic Championship 2017
In the same year, he recorded a timing of 46.50 seconds in the men’s 400m event at the 57th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. In April 2018, Amoj participated in the men’s 4x400m relay event in the Commonwealth Games held in Australia. In 2020, Amoj was a part of the Men’s 4×400 relay event at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Amoj with his teammates at Tokyo Olympics 2020
In 2021, he won the men’s 400m event at the Indian Grand Prix 2 and Indian Grand Prix 3 with a reported time of 46.00 seconds and 45.70 seconds respectively. Amoj took part in the 21st Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championship in March 2021 in the men’s 400m category with a timing of 45.68 seconds at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
In March 2022, Amoj won the men’s 400m race at the Indian Grand Prix-1 held at Thiruvananthapuram, and he finished with a time of 45.98 seconds.
Amoj Jacob (centre) at the Indian Grand Prix-1 men’s 400m event
In June 2022, Amoj won the men’s 400m event at the 61st National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Chennai, and he clocked a time of 45.68 seconds.
Record(s)
- 2017: National record in the junior boys’ U20 400m event at the 33rd Coromandel National Junior Athletic Championship 2017 with a timing of 46.59 seconds, breaking the previous record of Virender Pank, created in 2006 with a timing of 46.99 seconds.
- 2020: Asian record of 3 minutes and 25 seconds at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in 4*400 men’s relay, breaking the previous record of 3:00.56 set by Qatar at the Asian Games 2018.
#IND’s 4x400m relay team set a new Asian record at the #Olympics! 😱
Watch Amoj Jacob’s finishing blitz that helped India finish fourth in heat 2 and sprint straight into the history books. 🙌#StrongerTogether | #UnitedByEmotion | #Tokyo2020 | #BestOfTokyo pic.twitter.com/gdDYPX2RLD
— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) August 6, 2021
Medals
Gold Medal
- 2016: Asian Junior Championship at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (men’s 800m event)
- 2017: Asian Athletics Championships 2017, Bhubneshwar
- 2017: 33rd Coromandel National Junior Athletic Championship, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
- 2021: 21st Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championship, Patiala
Silver Medal
- 2016: Asian Junior Championship at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (men’s 4x400m relay)
Facts/Trivia
- While studying in school, Amoj was interested in football. He was spotted during a football match by Arvind Kapoor, a physical trainer in his school. He advised Amoj to specialize as a sprinter. In an interview, he talked about Amoj and said,
His height, his movement, and his strides were suited for a 400/800m athlete. He already had incredible speed, so I worked on his endurance.”
- Amoj religiously follows a ritual in which he recites a small prayer at the start of the event, and after crossing the finish line.
- In an interview, on being asked if losing affects him or not, Amoj said,
I don’t think much, honestly. That has been my motto. I don’t get disappointed even when I lose. So I am going to take it step by step. Jo bhi hoga dekha jayega.”
- In 2018, during the Commonwealth Games in Australia, Jacob collapsed on the track in the 4*400 men’s relay event. His teammates rushed toward him to take him off the tracks, which led to their elimination from the game.
Amoj Jacob fell to the ground at the Commonwealth Games 2018
- In an interview, talking about winning the gold medal in Federation Cup 2021, Amoj said,
No, I was not surprised, I was prepared for the timing. I thought I could run around 45.5s, but in the Federation Cup, my judgement was quite wrong. I ran the first 300 very fast, then I got tired.”
- During the men’s 4x400m relay event in Tokyo Olympics 2020, Amoj ran the last leg with a reported timing of 44.68 seconds.
- In 2022, Amoj Jacob suffered an injury during the 4x400m relay event at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship. As a result, he had to withdraw his participation from the men’s 4x400m relay event at the Eugene World Athletic Championship 2022. In an interview, talking about his injury, Amoj said
I had recovered from the hamstring injury and had resumed training but I was yet to attain my peak fitness so that is why I decided to pull out of the World meet. Now I am working my way to full fitness and happy with my progress. If everything goes well I will be ready for the Commonwealth Games. But I need to run a few races before the Commonwealth Games to test my fitness. But I am not sure about participating in any competitive meets before the Commonwealth Games.
Amoj Jacob suffered an injury during the 4x400m relay event at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship