Indian athletics witnessed a historic moment on Saturday, May 23, as Gurindervir Singh became the fastest Indian man ever after clocking a sensational 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100m final at the Federation Cup Athletics Meet in Ranchi. With this extraordinary effort, Gurindervir not only shattered the national record but also became the first Indian sprinter to break the prestigious 10.10-second barrier.
The remarkable run also helped Gurindervir comfortably secure qualification for both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, marking a major milestone for Indian sprinting.
The highly anticipated final came after an intense battle between Gurindervir and fellow sprinter Animesh Kujur during the semifinals on Friday. Gurindervir had initially grabbed headlines after clocking 10.17 seconds to break the previous national record. However, the celebrations were short-lived as Kujur responded almost immediately by recording an even faster 10.15 seconds in the next heat to reclaim the record.
There was further drama in the semifinals when Kujur achieved the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 10.16 seconds, while Gurindervir narrowly missed it by just 0.01 seconds.
But the final belonged entirely to Gurindervir Singh.
The sprinter exploded out of the blocks and maintained incredible pace throughout the race before crossing the finish line in a stunning 10.09 seconds. The historic timing created a new benchmark in Indian athletics and signalled a massive leap forward for sprinting standards in the country.
Animesh Kujur finished second with an impressive 10.20 seconds, while Pranav Promod secured third place after clocking 10.29 seconds in a high-quality final.
Interestingly, both Gurindervir and Kujur train under renowned coach James Hillier and are now emerging as two of India’s brightest sprinting stars. Their growing rivalry in both the 100m and 200m events is rapidly pushing Indian sprinting to new heights on the continental stage.
The memorable evening in Ranchi did not end there.
In the men’s 400m event, quarter-miler Vishal TK produced another historic performance by breaking his own national record with a sensational timing of 44.98 seconds. With this effort, Vishal became the first Indian athlete ever to break the 45-second barrier in the 400m event.
The twin national records by Gurindervir Singh and Vishal TK have sparked excitement across Indian athletics and highlighted the rapid progress being made by Indian track athletes ahead of major international competitions.
