Speed demon: Gurindervir Singh clocks historic 10.09s national record

NEW DELHI: Punjab’s Gurindervir Singh scripted history at the 2026 National Federation Cup Athletics Championship in Ranchi, becoming the first Indian in history to break the sub-10.10-second barrier in the men’s 100-meter sprint. The 25-year-old, representing the Reliance Foundation, clocked a phenomenal 10.09 seconds in the final to clinch the gold medal and establish a new national record.

This blistering performance also elevates Gurindervir to the position of the second-fastest Asian sprinter this season, sitting just behind Japan’s 19-year-old prodigy Fukuto Komuro, who holds the top spot at 10.08 seconds.

The Birsa Munda Football Stadium played host to a thrilling, see-saw battle for sprinting supremacy over 48 hours. The national record was shattered three times across two days in a dramatic showdown between Gurindervir and Odisha's Animesh Kujur.

Record-Breaking Timeline

• Friday (Semifinal Heat 1): Gurindervir clocks 10.17 seconds, breaking Kujur's previous national record of 10.18 seconds.
• Friday (Semifinal Heat 2): Minutes later, Animesh Kujur reclaims the crown by blazing through his heat in a stunning 10.15 seconds.
• Saturday (The Final): Gurindervir delivers the decisive blow, storming to victory in an astonishing 10.09 seconds. Kujur finishes second at 10.20 seconds to take the silver.

Path to the International Stage

The Federation Cup served as a high-stakes selection trial for the upcoming international calendar, most notably the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the upcoming Asian Games. For the men's 100m, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) instituted a strict qualification benchmark of 10.16 seconds. By roaring past this standard, both gold-medalist Gurindervir Singh (with his historic 10.09s final) and silver-medalist Animesh Kujur (via his 10.15s semifinal performance) comfortably punched their tickets to the international stage.