Just days after being part of Indian athletics’ dramatic 100m national record battle with Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur endured another frustrating evening at the Federation Cup 2026 in Ranchi after narrowly missing the Commonwealth Games qualification mark in the men’s 200m final. The Odisha sprinter still won gold with a timing of 20.64s, but fell agonisingly short of the CWG standard of 20.61s by just 0.03 seconds.
And despite standing on top of the podium, Animesh himself hardly looked fully satisfied after the race.
The national record holder entered the competition as the overwhelming favourite in the 200m, especially after his record-breaking rise over the last year. But the final eventually turned into another reminder of how brutally fine the margins are becoming in Indian sprinting.
Kerala’s Jishnu Prasad finished second with 20.98s, while Reliance athlete Abhay Singh secured bronze after clocking 21.01s.
ANIMESH STILL CHASING HIS BEST
The bigger concern for Indian athletics, however, is that Animesh is yet to consistently rediscover the level that saw him clock the national record timing of 20.32s during the 2025 Asian Championships.
Since that breakthrough performance, the sprinter has not gone below 20.55 seconds again in the 200m, something that is now beginning to slightly worry fans heading into the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games cycle.
The disappointment becomes even sharper because Animesh had already endured a dramatic emotional swing earlier this week during the men’s 100m competition.
On Friday, Gurindervir Singh initially broke Animesh’s national record by clocking 10.17s in the semifinal heats before Kujur responded almost immediately with a 10.15s run to reclaim the record.
But the story did not end there.
A day later, Gurindervir returned in the final and became the first Indian sprinter ever to break the symbolic 10.10 barrier after clocking 10.09s, once again taking the national record away from Animesh.
Now, just days later, Kujur narrowly missing the 200m CWG mark has added another emotional twist to what has already been a dramatic week for Indian sprinting.
CAN ANIMESH KUJUR STILL RUN IN CWG?
Despite missing the qualification mark, Animesh still remains eligible for Commonwealth Games selection depending on the Athletics Federation of India’s final discretion.
The AFI selection committee can still choose athletes who miss the direct qualification standard if they are considered strong medal contenders or among the country’s best international prospects.
Given Animesh’s national record, recent performances and growing rivalry with Gurindervir Singh, the Odisha sprinter still remains one of India’s biggest sprint hopes heading into the next major international cycle.
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