RECORD
BROKEN
Gurindervir Singh 100m national record — those five words are now permanently written into Indian athletics history. On a charged Saturday evening at Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi, the 25-year-old Punjab sprinter clocked a stunning 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100m final at the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition 2026, shattering the existing mark and becoming the first Indian to ever dip below the 10.10-second barrier.
The result ended a breathless 24-hour duel between Gurindervir and Odisha rival Animesh Kujur — a contest that saw the Indian 100m national record broken three separate times before the final whistle blew on Saturday night. The Reliance Foundation athlete, trained by British coach James Hillier at the High-Performance Centre, finished the race to stunned — then roaring — applause inside the stadium.
Gurindervir Singh 100m national record: How the 24-hour thriller unfolded
The stage was set on Friday. Gurindervir stepped into the heats and ran 10.17 seconds, erasing the existing national mark of 10.18 seconds that Animesh Kujur had set in 2025. Minutes later, in the very next semi-final lane, Kujur responded with 10.15 seconds to reclaim the crown. Two records. Two sprinters. Thirty minutes apart.
Saturday’s final was the decider. Gurindervir loaded into the blocks, and when the gun fired, there was no hesitation. He powered through the first 60 metres and held his form through the dip, stopping the clock at 10.09 seconds — a full nine hundredths inside the 10.18-second mark he had come into the meet targeting.
“It is a very good feeling. In the last minute, the game is more about being mentally strong than physically strong.”— Gurindervir Singh, post-race (via ANI)
Animesh Kujur, who had come into the meet as national record holder and favourite, had to settle for silver in 10.20 seconds. Pranav Gurav took bronze in 10.29 seconds. Significantly, both Gurindervir and Animesh secured their spots on the India team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Gurindervir Singh qualifies for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games 2026
The Federation Cup doubles as the lone selection trial for the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, scheduled for July 23 to August 2. The AFI had set a qualifying standard of 10.16 seconds for the men’s 100m. Gurindervir beat it by seven hundredths of a second — a margin that removed any doubt from the selectors’ minds.
His time also clears the entry standard for the Asian Games and is the second fastest run by any Asian athlete in 2026, behind only 19-year-old Japanese sprinter Fukuto Komuro, who ran 10.08 seconds in May. Vegas11 News understands the AFI is set to formally announce the Commonwealth Games athletics squad in the coming weeks, with Gurindervir leading the sprint contingent.
Son of a Punjab farmer: The story behind the Gurindervir Singh 100m national record
Behind the timing board is a story of grit. Gurindervir was born into a farming family in Patiala, Punjab — a city with a storied athletics tradition but few resources for aspiring sprinters. His rise through the national circuit has been interrupted by serious health setbacks, including a difficult battle with stomach ulcers that at one point threatened to end his track career altogether.
He persevered. He joined the Reliance Foundation High-Performance Centre and found his technical development under coach James Hillier. His indoor 60m national record of 6.60 seconds, set earlier in the season, had already signalled that something special was building. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, congratulating him on social media, called the achievement “a proud moment for both Punjab and the country.”
“I worked hard and believed in myself. Everyone around me has contributed to my success.”— Gurindervir Singh (via ANI)
Indian athletics golden era: More records fell on the same day
The Gurindervir Singh 100m national record was not the only landmark set at Birsa Munda Stadium on Saturday. Tejaswin Shankar became the first Indian to breach 8,000 points in the decathlon, finishing on 8,057 points. Vishal TK ran 44.98 seconds to become the first Indian below 45 seconds in the 400m. Indian track and field is accelerating into a new era — and Gurindervir Singh just set its fastest tempo yet.
Related News: GT vs CSK IPL 2026: Titans Storm Into Playoffs With 89-Run Win | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Tops Most Sixes in IPL 2026