Gurindervir Singh Clocks Historic Sub-10.1 Run as National Records Fall at Federation Meet

Indian athletics witnessed a remarkable 24-hour stretch as national records tumbled repeatedly, with sprinter Gurindervir Singh becoming the first Indian man to complete the 100m race in under 10.1 seconds.

Competing at the National Senior Federation Competition at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, Gurindervir produced a stunning run of 10.09 seconds on Saturday to enter uncharted territory in Indian sprinting.

The men’s 100m competition had already produced high drama a day earlier. Animesh Kujur had entered the meet as favourite after setting the national mark of 10.18 seconds last year. But Gurindervir struck first in Friday’s semifinals, clocking 10.17 seconds to rewrite the record. Minutes later, Animesh answered with a 10.15-second effort to reclaim the national benchmark.

The battle, however, ended with Gurindervir delivering an even faster run in the final. Animesh finished second, 0.11 seconds behind, while Pranav Gurav secured third place with a time of 10.29 seconds.

Gurindervir also crossed the qualification standard for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and now owns the second-fastest time recorded by an Asian athlete this season.

The meet produced another landmark achievement shortly afterward, this time in the men’s 400m event.

Vishal TK became the first Indian athlete to run the distance in under 45 seconds, clocking a historic 44.98 seconds. The 22-year-old from Tamil Nadu had already gained attention after breaking the national record last year, and his latest performance pushed the standard even further.

Vishal’s effort also placed him at the top of the Asian season rankings and moved him past the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark.

Fellow Tamil Nadu runner Rajesh Ramesh finished second in 45.31 seconds, while Jay Kumar of Uttar Pradesh took third place with 45.47 seconds.

The competition turned into one of Indian athletics’ most memorable weekends, with barriers long considered out of reach finally being broken.