Gurindervir Singh clocked a historic 10.09s to become the first Indian man under 10.10 seconds in the 100m, capping a journey shaped by setbacks and resilience.
It was glory at last for Gurindervir Singh last night, who clocked a historic 10.09s to become the first Indian man under 10.10 seconds in the 100m.
To put it simply, Gurindervir is now the fastest man in India.
But it wasn’t a title that came without its fair share of obstacles and struggles. In fact, his victory merely capped a journey shaped by setbacks and resilience.
The Night He Became India’s Fastest Man
For years, Indian sprinters have chased the sub-10.10s barrier. In Ranchi last night, Gurindervir finally broke through.
The 24-year-old from Punjab clocked 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100m final at the Federation Cup 2026, becoming the first Indian man to dip below 10.10 seconds. In the process, he rewrote the national record and secured qualification for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
But it didn’t happen out of the blue. The sprinter had, in fact, warmed up to it through the qualification rounds.
Earlier in the day, Gurindervir had clocked 10.17 seconds in the semifinals to briefly set a national record. Minutes later, Animesh Kujur bettered it with 10.15 seconds. But Gurindervir returned for the final and reclaimed the mark emphatically with his 10.09-second sprint.
Inspired By Bolt, Shaped In Punjab
Gurindervir’s interest in sprinting started after watching Usain Bolt dominate the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Back home in Patial village near Jalandhar, he spent his early years running in local meets before moving to Jalandhar to train under coach Sarabjit Singh at the Punjab Institute of Sports.
The switch changed everything — structured training introduced him to sprint mechanics, race strategy, and elite-level preparation, and coaches quickly helped him develop his now-explosive starts.
Junior Success And Steady Rise
His first major breakthrough came at the 2018 Federation Cup National Junior Athletics Championships in Coimbatore. Competing in the under-20 category, Gurindervir clocked 10.47 seconds to set a new national junior record, breaking Augustine Yeshudas’ long-standing mark of 10.57 seconds.
The performance earned him spots at international events, including the Asian Junior Championships and the World U20 Championships.
Transitioning into senior athletics brought tougher competition, but Gurindervir continued progressing. At the 2021 National Inter-State Championships in Patiala, he clocked 10.27 seconds to break the meet record.
Health Setbacks And His Comeback
Just as his career was gaining momentum, Gurindervir ran into serious health issues. Digestive complications caused weight loss and disrupted his training. For nearly two years, he focused on rebuilding fitness and strength while trying different treatments and diet plans.
His comeback arrived in March 2025 at the Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru, where he clocked 10.20 seconds to set a new national record.
