Neil Samraj smashed the U-18 100m national record twice in Ludhiana, clocking 10.53s in the semifinal before improving it to 10.46s in the final
The 17-year-old Tamil Nadu sprinter won gold and broke Anshu Rajak’s previous 10.63s mark by 0.17 seconds
Samraj, who competed in the World U-20 Championships 4x100m relay, is now targeting a sub-10.30s timing in upcoming competitions
Tamil Nadu teenager Neil Samraj is quickly emerging as one of India’s most promising young sprinters after rewriting the national U-18 100m record twice in a single day at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana.
The 17-year-old first clocked 10.53 seconds in the semi-final, bettering the existing mark, before producing an even faster 10.46 in the final to win gold. His final timing was 0.17 seconds quicker than Anshu Rajak’s previous national youth record of 10.63 seconds, set in 2023. Samraj’s performance has also strengthened his prospects of qualifying for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar later this year.
From World U-20 Experience To A Record-Breaking Run
Samraj’s breakthrough comes only weeks after he represented India at the World U-20 Championships, where he was part of the men’s 4x100m relay squad. That international exposure appears to have played an important role in his latest performance, giving the teenager an opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best young athletes before returning to the domestic circuit.
Despite breaking the national mark and winning gold, Samraj believes there is considerably more to come. He had targeted a much quicker time in Ludhiana but felt he could not execute the race exactly as planned.
“I expected 10.30 seconds but could not execute the race as I thought, but I will surely dip below in the upcoming competitions. It was a good learning experience for me at the World U-20 Championships and that helped me in my race here (National meet),” Samraj, who was part of men's 100m relay at World U-20 competition, told TOI.
A Record Today, Bigger Ambitions Tomorrow
The 10.46-second run is particularly impressive because it came after Samraj had already lowered the national youth record earlier the same day. He then returned for the final and improved his own new benchmark by another 0.07 seconds.
Samraj’s rise has been relatively rapid. He took up athletics in Grade 9 and has trained under coach Velmurugan, whom he considers an elder-brother figure. The sprinter’s immediate focus was the 200m event at the championships, but his larger target is to continue improving his sprint times while pushing towards Youth Olympic qualification.
The teenager’s current World Athletics profile lists a 100m personal best of 10.59 seconds from June 2026, meaning his latest 10.46 performance represents a significant leap in his progression.
