Sprinters Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh have been selected for the Commonwealth Games. After Gurindervir set a new 100m national record of 10.09s, both athletes, who spoke to PM Modi, are motivated to excel and prove Indians can succeed.
Sprinter Animesh Kujur, who along with athlete national-record holder Gurindervir Singh, spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday, said that both of them have been selected for the Commonwealth Games and will strive to perform better in the upcoming competitions.
Animesh noted that the recent sports event at Ranchi saw Gurindervir Singh break the 10.1 seconds barrier in the 100-metre race and asserted that nothing is so hard for Indian athletes and they can also do everything. Animesh said he wanted to excel in the field he had chosen.
Proving Doubters Wrong
"Everyone used to tell me that when I started athletics in 2021, they used to ask me, 'Look, this is a new field, will you be able to do it or not?' So, I said, 'Now that I've entered this field, I will definitely do it.' My father also always used to tell me that if you have entered this field then never look back because everyone thinks that they have to do this, they have to do that but very few show it by doing it. You have just entered this field so stick to it, move ahead in it. You will get all the facilities, we will support you in everything, family support, financial support, we will do everything... just work hard and show India that Indians can also run," Kujur said
"Because people used to tell me as well that the genes of Indians are not such that they can run in Sub 10 or Sub 10.1 or can someone do that sprint, but now both of us have proved that Indians can also do it. Nothing is so hard for us, we can also do everything. So Sir, all these things motivate me a lot and as we are training, we are breaking our timings and other Indians are also seeing this thing that Indians can also do it... and we will do more Sir, and now both of us have been selected for the Commonwealth Games as well, so we will perform even better in the upcoming competition there," he added.
Kujur's Journey into Athletics
Kujur said he is the National record holder in 200m and 400m and I belong to Chhattisgarh. "Currently I play for Odisha. Last year I won Asian Medal and World University Games Medal and I started athletics from 2021 when I passed out from school. I am a pass out from Sainik School Ambikapur, and I used to play football earlier, and during the time of COVID, my parents used to give me some freedom to go out and run or play," he said.
"When COVID started to subside, my football friends told me that there is going to be a State meet... go and participate. I participated and I did not know that there was a selection for the National level from there. I got selected in the National from there and today I am representing India Internationally," he added.
Friendly Rivalry, Shared Goals
Responding to PM's remarks about the two athletes being good friends, he said they talked about taking forward sprinting in India. "The first record was 10.18, which was mine only, and then Gurinder Veer Bhaiya broke it in the semi-final by doing 10.17, and I broke it again in the second semi-final by doing 10.15. At that time, when my semi-final happened, we both were happy that yes, it's okay, today the record was broken, and we both did it, because at that time there is rivalry in the competition, but we both were already determined, before that we had also gone to Saudi Arabia to compete, we both were roommates there too, so we both used to talk there that we have to take Indian sprinting forward and it is in our hands, whatever we do will motivate others," he said.
Record-Breaking Day in Ranchi
Gurindervir clocked a sensational 10.09 seconds at the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition 2026 in Ranchi earlier this month, becoming the first Indian man to breach the 10.10-second barrier in the blue-riband event. The 25-year-old's remarkable effort rewrote the national record and secured qualification for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. Gurindervir's record-breaking run capped a dramatic day in Ranchi. He had earlier clocked 10.17 seconds in the semifinals to briefly set a new national mark, only for fellow sprinter Animesh Kujur to surpass it moments later with a 10.15-second effort. In the final, however, Gurindervir reclaimed the record emphatically with his historic 10.09s finish, while both he and Animesh booked their spots for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the sprinter after he became the first Indian to clock below 10.10 seconds in the men's 100m event."10.09 seconds! Gurindervir Singh, you have rewritten history. The entire nation is incredibly proud of you!" Mandaviya said in a post on X. (ANI)
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