Ranchi: Sprinter Gurindervir Singh delivered a historic performance on the track Saturday, lowering the men's 100-meter national record to 10.09 seconds during a landmark second day of the National Senior Federation Competition.

The event witnessed an unprecedented surge in domestic athletic standards, as Vishal T.K. became the first Indian to break the 45-second barrier in the 400-meter event, and decathlete Tejaswin Shankar established himself as the nation’s first competitor to accumulate more than 8,000 points.

Gurindervir Triumphs in Historic Sprint Rivalry

The men's 100-meter championship race culminated a multi-day duel between Punjab's Gurindervir, representing the Reliance Foundation, and previous record-holder Animesh Kujur of Odisha. Kujur entered the competition as the favourite based on his prior national benchmark of 10.18 seconds. However, during Friday's preliminary rounds, Gurindervir initially eclipsed that mark by running 10.17 seconds in the first semifinal heat. In a rapid response, just five minutes later, Kujur reclaimed the record by posting a time of 10.15 seconds in the subsequent heat.

In Saturday's final, the 25-year-old Gurindervir secured the definitive victory, outpacing Kujur by 0.11 seconds to cross the finish line roughly two feet ahead of his younger competitor. With his 10.09-second performance, Gurindervir became the first Indian sprinter to record a time below 10.10 seconds.

Following the race, Gurindervir displayed a white sheet of paper bearing the inscription: "Task is not finished yet. Wait, I am still standing," alongside the digits 10.10.

"This record is to prove that I'm not finished and still have power in my legs," Gurindervir said during post-race media availability.

His primary coach, James Hillier, expressed confidence that the athlete's performance trajectory would continue to improve, noting that Gurindervir is successfully implementing tactical race plans.

Gurindervir's time surpassed the Athletics Federation of India's (AFI) qualification standard of 10.16 seconds established for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Furthermore, his 10.09-second mark stands as the second-fastest time recorded by an Asian sprinter this season, trailing only a 10.08-second performance achieved by 19-year-old Japanese runner Fukuto Komuro in May. Reliance Foundation teammate Pranav Gurav secured third place in the final with a time of 10.29 seconds.

Vishal and Shankar Establish National Benchmarks

In the 400-meter discipline, 22-year-old Vishal T.K. of Tamil Nadu cemented his status as a premier continental competitor by finishing in 44.98 seconds. The performance marked the first time an Indian athlete had subverted the 45-second threshold, eclipsing the 2026 Commonwealth Games entry standard of 44.96 seconds set by the AFI. His time also represents the fastest mark in Asia this season, surpassing the 45.16 seconds established by Ammar Ismail Ibrahim in April.

"Athletics fans will certainly keep a track of me when I compete at the global level," Vishal remarked, adding that he had mentally visualised breaking the barrier.

Tamil Nadu's Rajesh Ramesh secured second place at 45.31 seconds, followed by Uttar Pradesh's Jay Kumar in third at 45.47 seconds.

In the decathlon, 27-year-old Asian Games silver medalist Tejaswin Shankar, also representing the Reliance Foundation, accumulated a national record of 8,057 points across the 10-event discipline. The performance eclipsed his own previous record of 7,947 points, advanced him to seventh on the all-time Asian decathlon list, and surpassed the 2026 Commonwealth Games qualifying benchmark of 7,787 points. Thowfeeq N. of NCOE Trivandrum finished second with 7530 points.

Competition Results

Men's Events

  • 100m: Gurindervir Singh (Reliance) 10.09 seconds; Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.20 seconds; Pranav Pramod (Reliance) 10.29 seconds.
  • 400m: Vishal T.K. (Tamil Nadu) 44.98 seconds; Rajesh Ramesh (Tamil Nadu) 45.31 seconds; Jay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 45.47 seconds.
  • Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar (Reliance) 8,057 points; Thowfeeq N. (NCOE Trivandrum) 7,530 points; Gokul K.R. (Navy) 7,157 points.

Women's Events

  • 100m: Sudeshna H. (Maharashtra) 11.56 seconds; Giridharani Ravikumar (Tamil Nadu) 11.58 seconds; Tamanna (Haryana) 11.62 seconds.
  • 400m: Vithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 52.22 seconds; Ansa Babi (All India Police) 53.07 seconds; Prachi (JSW) 53.26 seconds.
  • 1500m: Pooja (JSW) 4:11.34; Ankita (Uttarakhand) 4:12.28; Anju (Haryana) 4:21.26.
  • Javelin Throw: Shilpa Rani (Haryana) 56.46 meters; Annu Rani (Uttar Pradesh) 55.61 meters; Rashmi K. (Andhra Pradesh) 54.85 meters.
  • Shot Put: Krishna Jayashankar (Reliance) 17.35 meters; Yogita (Haryana) 16.82 meters; Shiksha (Reliance) 16.61 meters.
  • Pole Vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.10 meters; Nitika Anup (Madhya Pradesh) 4.10 meters; Krishna Rachan (Railway Sports) 3.90 meters.
  • Triple Jump: Niharika Vashisht (Punjab) 13.64 meters; Bhairabi Roy (Railway Sports) 13.28 meters; Mallala Anusha (Andhra Pradesh) 13.28 meters.

With inputs from PTI