Gurindervir Singh’s 10.09s Dream: Can India’s Fastest Man Deliver At The Asian Games?

He rewrote Indian sprinting history with a single race. Now, on the biggest stage of his career, Gurindervir Singh is chasing something even bigger.

Gurindervir Singh: The Record That Changed Everything

Back in May, at the Federation Cup in Ranchi, Gurindervir Singh became the first Indian sprinter to ever dip below the 10.10-second barrier in the 100 metres, clocking a stunning 10.09 seconds. The run came at the end of an extraordinary weekend that saw India’s national record broken three times in two days, as Gurindervir and training rival Animesh Kujur traded blows — 10.17s, then 10.15s, before Gurindervir’s final 10.09s sealed a new era for Indian sprinting.

A Difficult Season Since The Breakthrough

Despite the historic record, Gurindervir’s season since Ranchi hasn’t quite matched the hype. At the Commonwealth Games trials in Glasgow in July, he clocked a modest 10.39 seconds in his heat, and more recently finished second to Kujur at the Indian Athletics Final Series in New Delhi with a time of 10.32 seconds. Rather than chasing quick times all season, Gurindervir has focused on training, treating the Asian Games as his true target all along.

“The main race is the Asian Games. The final target is the Asian Games,” he said ahead of the competition.

The Sub-10 Dream

Gurindervir has been open about his ambition to break the elusive 10-second barrier — and he’s hoping it happens on the Aichi-Nagoya track. “If it happens, let it happen at the Asian Games,” he said, adding that his training times suggest the breakthrough is within reach. “The timing is coming in training. They graph it… I will have to try again and again.”

Stacked Competition Awaits

Gurindervir’s 100m field at the Asian Games is loaded with serious speed. Japan’s Yuki Koike (9.98s PB) and Shuhei Tada (10.01s), Thailand’s Puripol Boonson (9.94s), former Asian champion Xie Zhenye of China (9.97s), and Iran’s Hassan Taftian (10.03s) are all in the mix. Gurindervir’s own 10.09s puts him firmly in that elite bracket.

“They have run well, and we are also running well,” he said. “It’s not like they are extraordinarily strong and we are far behind them… we don’t even know who is ahead and who is behind.”

A Rivalry That Fuels, Not Distracts

Gurindervir’s ongoing battle with Animesh Kujur has defined this season of Indian sprinting, but he insists it’s a positive force rather than pressure. “It is a healthy thing,” he said, describing their friendly rivalry as one built on mutual push and respect.

What’s At Stake?

Beyond personal bragging rights, a strong performance at the Asian Games could cement Gurindervir as the face of a genuinely new era in Indian sprinting — one where sub-10.10 times are no longer once-in-a-generation events. Whether or not he breaks 10 seconds in Nagoya, his run through the rounds will be one of the most closely watched storylines of these Games for Indian athletics fans.

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