Sprint Record Falls in Ranchi
- Gurindervir Singh clocked 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100m final at the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition in Ranchi.
- He became the fastest Indian ever and the first Indian sprinter to break the 10.10-second barrier.
- The national record changed hands three times within two days between Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur.
- Gurindervir serves as a Petty Officer in the Indian Navy and trains at the Reliance Foundation setup under coach James Hillier.
- The Ranchi meet also witnessed major performances from Indian athletes in the 400m and decathlon events.
India’s sprinting scene entered a new phase on May 23 after Gurindervir Singh clocked a stunning 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100 metres final at the 29th National Federation Senior Athletics Competition in Ranchi, becoming the fastest Indian in history.
The 25-year-old sprinter broke the national record at Birsa Munda Stadium and became the first Indian athlete to run below the 10.10-second barrier, a mark widely seen as an important benchmark in global sprinting.
His performance came at the end of an intense two-day contest with Odisha sprinter Animesh Kujur, as the national record changed hands repeatedly during the competition.
Gurindervir’s 10.09s run earned him the gold medal and placed him ahead of Kujur, who had briefly held the national record with a timing of 10.15 seconds just a day earlier.
The dramatic sequence began on May 22 during the semifinals. Gurindervir first clocked 10.17 seconds, improving upon Kujur’s earlier national mark of 10.18 seconds. Minutes later, Kujur answered with a 10.15-second run in the next semifinal to reclaim the record.
The rivalry then reached its peak in the final on May 23, when Gurindervir produced the fastest sprint ever recorded by an Indian athlete.
The race has quickly become one of the most discussed moments in Indian athletics in recent years, with several observers calling it a turning point for sprinting standards in the country.
Gurindervir, who serves as a Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, received praise from across the sports community after the race. The Indian Navy also celebrated the achievement on social media with the message: “The fastest man in India wears whites.”
The sprinter has been training under coach James Hillier at the Reliance Foundation high-performance setup, where he has worked on acceleration, race control, and mental conditioning. In previous interviews, Gurindervir had spoken about challenging the long-standing belief that Indian athletes could not compete at elite global sprinting levels in the 100 metres.
His latest performance now places him among the fastest athletes in Asia this season and strengthens India’s hopes in sprint events ahead of major international competitions.
The Ranchi meet itself turned into an extraordinary event for Indian athletics. Alongside Gurindervir’s national record, several other athletes also delivered major performances. Quarter-miler Vishal TK reportedly became the first Indian runner to finish the 400 metres in under 45 seconds, while Tejaswin Shankar crossed the 8,000-point mark in decathlon.
Together, the performances created rare excitement around track and field events in India, especially sprinting, an area where the country has historically struggled to compete at the highest international level.
For many years, Indian athletics has found most of its success in field events, long-distance races, and javelin throw. The men’s 100 metres, however, remained one of the toughest events for Indian runners to break into internationally because of the high standards required at the world level.
That is why Gurindervir’s 10.09-second effort is being viewed as more than just a national record.
The sub-10.10 timing places Indian sprinting closer to international standards and signals growing improvement in training systems, sports science support, and athlete preparation inside the country.
The rivalry with Animesh Kujur has also added fresh interest to Indian sprinting. Over two days in Ranchi, the two athletes pushed each other to faster timings, creating one of the closest and fastest sprint contests ever seen in domestic Indian athletics.
While Gurindervir now holds the national record, Kujur’s 10.15-second run also underlined the rapid rise in sprint standards.
Athletics experts have noted that such competition between top athletes often plays a major role in improving national performance levels. The close contest in Ranchi may now become an important moment in the development of Indian sprinting.
Gurindervir already holds multiple national-level sprint records. Apart from the 100m national record, he has also been part of India’s national-record-setting 4x100m relay team.
His latest achievement is expected to increase attention on sprint events ahead of the upcoming international athletics season, where Indian athletes will attempt to compete more regularly against leading runners from Asia and beyond.
As the celebrations continued in Ranchi after the final, one message became clear inside Indian athletics circles: the men’s 100 metres, once considered a weak area for India, may finally be entering a new chapter.