Sanchita Chatterjee. BS News Agency: In the span of just 24 hours, the history of Indian athletics was rewritten. Amidst fierce rivalry between two exceptional athletes, the national record in the men's 100-meter sprint was shattered a total of three times. However, stealing the spotlight, Gurindervir Singh achieved a completely new milestone. For the first time in the history of Indian track and field, an athlete earned the distinction of completing the 100-meter dash in under 10.1 seconds. On Saturday, when Gurindervir crossed the finish line at the National Senior Federation Competition held at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Ranchi, the clock stopped at a mere 10.09 seconds. With this incredible performance, he effortlessly surpassed the qualifying standard of 10.16 seconds for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, as set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Not only that, but Gurindervir's timing of 10.09 seconds is also the second-fastest in Asia this season. Topping this list is 19-year-old Japanese sprinter Fukato Komuro, who clocked 10.08 seconds in May of this year. Prior to this competition, Animesh Kujur from Odisha was the frontrunner in the men's 100-meter event, as he held the national record—set last year—with a time of 10.18 seconds. However, on Friday—the very first day of the competition—Gurindervir stunned everyone by clocking 10.17 seconds in the first semi-final heat, thereby setting a new national record. Yet, that moment of glory lasted for only five minutes. In the second semi-final heat, Animesh staged a dramatic comeback, finishing the race in 10.15 seconds and reclaiming his own record. Then, on Saturday, in the grand finale, Gurindervir—an athlete from Punjab representing the Reliance Foundation—turned the tables completely. Clocking a time of 10.09 seconds in the final, he had the last laugh. Finishing the race in 10.20 seconds—just 0.11 seconds behind the winner—Animesh Kujur secured second place. Meanwhile, another athlete from the Reliance Foundation, Pranav Gaurav, took third place with a timing of 10.29 seconds.
Scarcely had the excitement of the 100-meter dash subsided when, just 30 minutes later, the spectators in the stadium witnessed yet another historic moment. Vishal T.A.K., a 22-year-old athlete from Tamil Nadu, made history by becoming the first Indian to complete the 400-meter race in under 45 seconds. Vishal had been a subject of discussion within the sports fraternity ever since he set a national record in the men's 400-meter event last year in Chennai, clocking a time of 45.12 seconds. In Saturday's final, he completed the race in 44.98 seconds, thereby becoming the first Indian to join this exclusive club. Vishal's timing of 44.98 seconds has secured the top spot on the list of Asia's best performances. He surpassed Ammar Ismail Ibrahim, who had clocked a time of 45.16 seconds last April. Simultaneously, Vishal came remarkably close to the 44.96-second qualifying standard set by the AFI for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. In this 400-meter event, another athlete from Tamil Nadu, Rajesh Ramesh, secured second place with a time of 45.31 seconds, while Jay Kumar from Uttar Pradesh finished third, completing the race in 45.47 seconds.
