India’s national 200m record holder Animesh Kujur continued his impressive sprinting form by clocking a personal best 10.14 seconds to finish second in the men’s 100m final at the PUMA Fast Arms Fast Legs 2026 meet on Saturday.
The Odisha sprinter’s effort is the fastest 100m ever recorded by an Indian on foreign soil and the second-fastest time by an Indian overall, behind Gurindervir Singh‘s national-leading 10.09 seconds.
Animesh Kujur clocks personal best of 10.14s
Animesh had already signalled his intent by winning his heat in 10.19 seconds before bettering that mark in the final. His latest run shaved one-hundredth of a second off his previous personal best of 10.15 seconds, continuing a season of consistent improvement.
Already the national record holder in the 200m, Animesh now owns three of the five fastest 100m timings by an Indian. The all-time list reads: Gurindervir Singh (10.09s), Animesh Kujur (10.14s), Animesh Kujur (10.15s), Gurindervir Singh (10.17s) and Animesh Kujur (10.18s).
His rapid progress in the shorter sprint comes just weeks after he secured qualification for the Asian Games in the 200m at the Inter-State National Athletics Championships in June. He clocked 20.74 seconds, comfortably inside the Athletics Federation of India qualifying standard of 20.88 seconds.
‘Qualification was the priority,’ says Animesh
Despite achieving the qualifying mark, Animesh admitted he was more focused on booking his place than chasing a fast time.
“Honestly, I was not here for timing. The idea was to secure the qualification mark for the Asian Games. Since I have got it now, I will focus on improving before the Asian Games,” he said after the race.
The 22-year-old still holds the national 200m record of 20.32 seconds.
The Inter-State Championships came shortly after India’s bronze-medal finish in the mixed 4x100m relay at the Asian Relay Championships, where Animesh played a key role. His coach, Martin Owens, had revealed that following a demanding travel schedule, the emphasis was on securing qualification rather than chasing a quick time.
Although Animesh has often described the 200m as his preferred event, his biggest gains over the past year have come in the 100m. He has lowered the Indian record twice before Gurindervir Singh reclaimed it with a national-best 10.09 seconds, and his latest 10.14-second effort further underlines his emergence as one of India’s leading sprint prospects ahead of the Asian Games.