Business tycoon Anand Mahindra said Indian sprinting found a new hero in Gurindervir Singh after the Punjab runner shattered the men’s 100m national record twice in two days at the Federation Cup Athletics Championships in Ranchi.
Having briefly claimed the record on Friday, Gurindervir returned on Saturday to produce a sensational 10.09-second sprint in the final, becoming the first Indian athlete to break the 10.10-second barrier. In doing so, he reclaimed the national record from Animesh Kujur and also secured qualification for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
THEY MAKE US BELIEVE
The performance drew widespread admiration, particularly from industrialist Anand Mahindra, who described Gurindervir’s rise as symbolic of a new era in Indian sprinting, likening the excitement to the legacy of the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh.
He noted that the 100m dash remains the most fiercely watched event in athletics, recalling how Jim Hines broke the 10-second barrier at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, a milestone that once seemed unreachable for India for decades.
“The idea of an all-new ‘Flying Sikh’ understandably captured headlines this past weekend. And perhaps no event in athletics grips the world quite like the 100 metres sprint. The search for the world’s fastest human being. As schoolchildren, we watched Jim Hines break the 10-second barrier at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. At the time, it was hard to imagine India ever entering that conversation,” Mahindra wrote.
“Which is why the performances of Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur feel so significant. They make us believe we do have what it takes to compete at the highest level. India’s national record stood at 10.26 as recently as 2023. We have now moved to 10.09 in remarkably little time,” Mahindra wrote.
‘HUGE CHALLENGE AHEAD’
While Gurindervir set a national record and became India’s fastest man, he is still some distance away from Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds. Mahindra praised him, noting that the sprinter is now approaching global standards required for success at the Olympics, World Championships, and other elite competitions.
“I checked on the net and found that Olympic finalists are typically in the 9.8–9.9 range. World Championship semifinalists are often around 10.0–10.1. And Asian/Commonwealth medal contention can happen around 10.0–10.15 depending on the field,” Mahindra said.
“So Gurindervir is now operating at the edge of genuine international competitiveness. (For perspective, let’s not forget that Su Bingtian of China ran 9.83 at the Tokyo Olympics semifinals in 2021.) The final frontier, of course, is the mythical sub-10 barrier. One of sport’s rarest achievements.
“A huge challenge still lies ahead. But watching Gurindervir explode off the blocks and streak to the tape was exhilarating. I’d like to start my week with that same momentum,” Mahindra added.
KUJUR, GURINDERVIR SET HIGH STANDARDS
The standout performances from Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur over the past two days have ignited what could become a defining sprint rivalry in Indian athletics, especially as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games cycle approaches.
Coached by James Hillier, Gurindervir Singh, and under the guidance of Martin Owens, Animesh Kujur, have together pushed Indian sprinting into a new era, creating a record-breaking duel that is breaking fresh ground.
For years, Indian athletics had been waiting for a sprinter to finally breach the symbolic 10.10-second barrier.
In Ranchi, that long-standing mark didn’t just fall—it was emphatically shattered twice in the space of two unforgettable days.
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