Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh overcome 100m challenge as they aim for success at the Asian Games.

The recent World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet held at Kalinga Stadium saw the country’s leading sprinters, Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh, facing challenges in the men’s 100m event. Despite their less-than-stellar performances, both athletes expressed optimism as they prepare for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Animesh Kujur, who achieved a personal best of 10.14 seconds earlier this season, finished sixth with a time of 10.32 seconds. This result was just shy of his 10.30 seconds recorded in Belgium on August 1. Meanwhile, Gurindervir Singh, who set a new national record of 10.09 seconds at the Federation meet in Ranchi in May, clocked in at 10.39 seconds, mirroring his performance from the heats at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last month, which placed him ninth in the race on August 22, 2026.

Both sprinters attributed their modest results to various factors. Gurindervir noted, “I had a very good start. But I thought I slipped in the first two steps and would fall, so I slowed down and had to pick up again.” He remained positive about his timing, considering the rigorous training regimen they have been following. “Our preparation is going well. The main target is the Asian Games. We can’t peak so soon. The training load is a bit high. We ran with that load,” he explained, emphasizing that their performance will improve as they taper their training closer to the competition.

Animesh Kujur, who holds the national record in the 200m with a time of 20.32 seconds set in May 2025, reflected on his race, stating, “I stumbled a little at 10-15 meters. My balance was affected. Everyone got ahead of me. It’s okay.” He reiterated that the Asian Games are his primary focus, mentioning that the Athletics Federation of India plans to send them to Japan early for acclimatization. “We have time between the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games to load more. We will deload a bit — there is a Mondo track, which is a fast track. My main focus is 200m,” he added.

Kujur, who faced a setback in the 200m semifinals at the Commonwealth Games with a time of 20.65 seconds, shared insights from his experience. “It’s not about who is the fastest. It’s about who is best prepared on that day. I don’t target any medal or time. I just execute my race and the timing comes on its own,” he concluded, highlighting the importance of preparation over mere speed.