Gurindervir Singh Seizes 100m National Record From Animesh Kujur In Thrilling Race - Watch

The men's 100m national record (NR) stood broken for the third time in less than 24 hours as Gurindervir Singh clocked a superb 10.09 seconds in the final of the National Senior Federation Competition in Ranchi on Saturday (May 23, 2026). Gurindervir produced Asia's second fastest time this season, and his 100m duel with previous national record holder Animesh Kujur will be remembered for ages in Indian athletics.

Animesh, representing Odisha, had come into the meet as favourite with his NR timing of 10.18 seconds set in 2025. But on the opening day on Friday, the 25-year-old Gurindervir lowered it to 10.17 seconds in the first semi-final heat.

Just five minutes later, the 22-year-old Animesh ran 10.15 seconds in the second semi-final heat to regain his national record in dramatic circumstances. On Saturday, Punjab athlete Gurindervir, representing Reliance Foundation, had the last laugh in the final race as he became the first Indian sprinter to run below 10.10 seconds.

In the process, he ran 0.11 seconds faster than Animesh and crossed the finish line well ahead of his younger rival. Pranav Gurav, also of Reliance Foundation, was third with a time of 10.29 seconds.

Gurindervir also breached the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) qualifying time of 10.16 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). His time of 10.09 seconds is the second fastest time by an Asian so far this season, behind 10.08 seconds clocked by 19-year-old Japanese sprinter Fukuto Komuro in May.

You can watch the video of the thrilling men's 100m race below:

It was a historic day in more ways than one, as Vishal TK became the first Indian to run 400m below 45 seconds. His 44.98 seconds effort is the continent's best so far this year.

The 22-year-old Vishal, representing Tamil Nadu, has been one of the most talked about Indian athletes after he smashed the men's 400m national record with his 45.12 seconds effort in Chennai last year. On Saturday, he cemented his status with a stunning run of 44.98 seconds to go past the CWG 2026 qualifying time of 44.96 seconds set by AFI.

Further, his 44.98 seconds timing topped the Asian list, going ahead of Ammar Ismail Ibrahim who clocked 45.16 seconds in April. Another Tamil Nadu athlete Rajesh Ramesh clocked 45.31 seconds to finish second while Jay Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was third with 45.47 seconds.

(With PTI inputs)