Indian sprinting witnessed a historic moment at the National Senior Federation Competition as Gurindervir Singh became the first Indian man to run the 100m in under 10.1 seconds. The Punjab sprinter clocked a sensational 10.09 seconds at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium on Saturday. His performance came just one day after he and Animesh Kujur exchanged the national record twice within a few minutes.
Animesh had entered the competition as the favourite after setting the national record of 10.18 seconds last year. However, Gurindervir shocked everyone on Friday by running 10.17 seconds in the semifinal. Minutes later, Animesh responded with an even better timing of 10.15 seconds to regain the national record.
Gurindervir and Vishal Shine With Record-Breaking Runs
On Saturday, Gurindervir delivered the best run of his career in the final. He crossed the finish line in 10.09 seconds and rewrote Indian athletics history. Animesh finished second and was 0.11 seconds behind the winner. Pranav Gurav secured third place with a timing of 10.29 seconds.
Gurindervir’s timing also helped him qualify for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The Athletics Federation of India had set the qualification mark at 10.16 seconds. His 10.09 seconds is currently the second-fastest time in Asia this season, only behind Japanese sprinter Fukuto Komuro, who clocked 10.08 seconds earlier this year.
The excitement continued later in the evening when Vishal TK made history in the men’s 400m event. The Tamil Nadu athlete became the first Indian to run the race in under 45 seconds. The 22-year-old clocked 44.98 seconds and broke his own national record.
Vishal also crossed the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 44.96 seconds. His timing placed him at the top of the Asian rankings this season. Rajesh Ramesh finished second with 45.31 seconds, while Jay Kumar took third place with 45.47 seconds.
