When Gurindervir Singh warmed up on the tracks while listening to religious Punjabi vaar (war) songs, prior to the men\u2019s 100m final of the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi), his high energy level was unmistakable. The battle was two-fold for him. The Navyman wanted to get back the National record with a new mark while proving to the world that Indians can run fast.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old, hailing from Jalandhar, progressed in his mission by clocking 10.09, and becoming the first Indian to record a sub-10.10 time, while wresting the National record from his closest rival and friend Animesh Kujur.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had self-belief, I had done hard training. I got good timing during training. The coach had belief that we could do it. Besides, the vaar songs playing into my ears took me to a different zone,\u201d said Gurindervir.<\/p>\n
Now, Gurindervir wants to run 100m even faster and emerge as a path-breaker like Milkha Singh and Neeraj Chopra.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people think that Indians can\u2019t sprint. Indians\u2019 genes are not made for sprinting.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil Milkha Singh, there was no 400m champion. Milkha made a path and everyone started running on that path.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Neeraj Chopra, there was no big name in javelin. When Neeraj won the Olympic gold medal, everyone wanted to do javelin. He broke the mental barrier that Indians can throw javelin and win gold in Olympics. Similarly, it is my wish, my dream that I should make a path on which people can walk and believe that we can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gurindervir admitted that he could not handle the success after breaking the National record (10.20, March 2025) for the first time and saw his performance dip.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, I was not a mature athlete…I could have achieved a lot. But my decisions were wrong. I chose something wrong. I made mistakes, but learned from my mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMentally, I am very strong this time. I will not back down soon. I have a support system. This time, there is no chance (of making mistakes). I have to carry this focus and mentality till the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Gurindervir.
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\n RITU RAJ KONWAR\n <\/p>\n
<\/div>\n Reliance Foundation\u2019s athletics director James Hillier adds perspective to this. \u201cHis mind wasn\u2019t conditioned to break the record. So what happened, it came as a bit of a surprise. It was just bombardment. It was so much pressure and he just wasn\u2019t ready for it. He couldn\u2019t deal with it, he couldn\u2019t cope with it…We had some really difficult conversations and he has come back really well. He has learnt a lot from that and respect for him (for that).<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes the success is the worst thing that can happen to you. It puts a different level of pressure and expectation on you… he\u2019ll manage this well. It won\u2019t stifle him like it did last year, I\u2019m absolutely sure of that. He\u2019s a very mature young man now. In training, he has been brilliant. I can\u2019t fault him, he has been fantastic. He deserves everything he gets.\u201d<\/p>\n Hillier was confident that Gurindervir would improve his performance in the future. \u201cWe just keep pushing. In training, based on my models, anything from 10.06 to 10.10 is where I felt he could do, if he executed perfectly. So he\u2019s still got a little bit more execution there, 10.09. We\u2019ve got a little bit more based on how he is now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect him to improve this year, next year. I don\u2019t know how long it\u2019s going to take, but I do expect him to keep improving. The times are coming down, which is good.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Gurindervir. <\/div>\n Gurindervir loves his intense rivalry with Kujur. \u201cI have been waiting for this for a long time. Every person enjoys watching a rivalry. Animesh has a hardcore fan base. When Animesh runs well, I feel that I have to run better. I have to do more hard training. When I run well, Animesh feels that he has to do more hard training. We get motivation from each other. We are roommates. We are brothers. We are competitors. When we are training, we are training partners. When we are out, we are friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Not just Kujur, but the presence of a bunch of talented sprinters like Manikanta Hoblidhar and Pranav Gurav pushes the sprinters, including Gurindervir, to raise their level.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Gurindervir wants to win this competition, he has to run fast. If everyone else is running 10.05, he only needs to run 10.04. Now he knew Animesh ran 10.15, he needed to run faster than that to win. The guys have no choice now. 10.29s, 10.20s are getting bronze medals now. Five years ago, 10.50 was getting a gold medal. The whole thing is moving on. It\u2019s a very, very exciting time for Indian sprinting,\u201d said Hillier.<\/p>\n Gurindervir feels better infrastructure would help athletes perform even better. \u201cIf this was a Mondo track with a good warm-up area and a good ground facility, then the races would start looking good.\u201d<\/p>\n Gurindervir, who was inspired by seeing one his father\u2019s action pictures and trophies earned as a National-level volleyball player before taking up sport, got further motivated by watching Usain Bolt\u2019s 2008 Beijing Olympics feats and Yohan Blake\u2019s running technique and weight training.<\/p>\n Gurindervir is happy to receive his family\u2019s support and understanding. \u201cI explained to my father this is how it is. Then he understood, now he knows everything. How does the 100m run happen, how does the body open, when does the race start. Like I ran 10.40 in Delhi, but he had no stress. He said, \u2018No problem, our target is something else. You rely on training and the race will start on its own.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n For Gurindervir and Hillier, apart from the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games is a major target this season. If Gurindervir is able to repeat his sub-10.10 performance in these big Games, then not only will he make a name for himself but will also succeed in his mission to let the world know that Indian sprinters can also run fast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Gurindervir.\"](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/7mznjx\/article71026661.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/2150_23_5_2026_21_22_28_1_ATHLETICS_23052026_30.JPG\" "\\"Gurindervir.\\"")
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\n RITU RAJ KONWAR\n <\/p>\nHealthy rivalry<\/h4>\n
Talented bunch<\/h4>\n