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Ranchi, May 22: Indian sprinting witnessed one of its most extraordinary moments on Friday (May 22) at the Federation Cup 2026 in Ranchi as Animesh Kujur reclaimed the men's 100m national record just minutes after Gurindervir Singh had taken it away from him.
The Odisha sprinter clocked a sensational 10.15 seconds in the second semifinal of the men's 100m to become India's fastest man once again. In the process, Kujur - the Reliance Sports Foundation Athlete - also breached the qualification standard for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, confirmed a new personal best, and recorded the sixth-fastest timing in Asia this year.
Animesh Kujur Breaks National Record Within Minutes
Only moments earlier, Gurindervir Singh, another Reliance athlete, had electrified the Birsa Munda Stadium by running
10.17s in the first semifinal to break Kujur's previous national record of 10.18s. But the drama did not last long.
Competing in the very next semifinal, Kujur responded in champion fashion with a blistering run under legal wind conditions (+0.3 m/s), reclaiming the national record almost instantly and producing one of the greatest sprinting moments in Indian athletics history.
What Kujur Achieved in Ranchi
✅ 10.15s - New National Record
✅ Personal Best Timing
✅ Commonwealth Games Qualification Achieved
✅ 6th Fastest Timing in Asia in 2026
The back-to-back national records marked a historic evening for Indian sprinting, underlining the rapid rise of the men's 100m event in the country. For years, India struggled to consistently produce world-class sprint timings, but the rivalry between Kujur and Gurindervir is now pushing Indian sprinting into entirely new territory.
TOP 5 MEN'S 100M TIMINGS (INDIA) 👇
✅ Animesh Kujur: 10.15s – 2026
✅ Gurindervir Singh: 10.17s – 2026
✅ Animesh Kujur: 10.18s – 2025
✅ Manikanta Hoblidhar: 10.19s – 2025
✅ Gurindervir Singh: 10.20s – 2025
The two fastest timings in the history of Indian men's 100m came… pic.twitter.com/3WzfLBsmQB- myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) May 22, 2026
Interestingly, Kujur had already hinted at this ambition during an interview with MyKhel at the Delhi leg of the Indian Athletics Series held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in April. After clocking 10.28s earlier in the season, the 22-year-old had made it clear that qualification marks were never his primary target.
"My aim is 10-flat," Kujur had told MyKhel in April, signalling his desire to push Indian sprinting towards a barrier no Indian man has crossed yet. (mykhel.com)
That statement now looks even more significant after his latest performance in Ranchi. While the Commonwealth Games qualification standard has already fallen, Kujur's focus clearly remains on something much bigger - becoming the first Indian sprinter to officially break the 10-second barrier.
Kujur's timing also comfortably bettered the Commonwealth Games qualification mark, making his performance even more significant with Glasgow 2026 fast approaching. The Odisha athlete has shown remarkable consistency throughout the season and now firmly establishes himself as the leading face of Indian men's sprinting.
The semifinal itself was dominated by Kujur from start to finish. Tamil Nadu's Sam Vasanth S finished second with 10.45s, while Adesh Garsa clocked 10.48s to take third place. However, the spotlight remained entirely on Kujur's historic run.
The Federation Cup has already emerged as one of the defining meets of the Indian athletics season, but the men's 100m semifinals elevated the competition to another level altogether. Two national records within minutes of each other reflected not just individual brilliance, but also the growing depth and competitiveness in Indian sprinting.
For Indian athletics fans, Ranchi may now be remembered as the venue where the country's sprint revolution truly arrived.
