Animesh Kujur misses 200m CWG cut days after losing 100m record to Gurindervir

Just days after being part of a dramatic battle for India’s 100m national record by Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur endured another frustrating evening at the 2026 Federation Cup in Ranchi after narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Commonwealth Games in the men’s 200m final. The Odisha sprinter still won the gold with a time of 20.64s but patiently fell short of the CWG standard of 20.61s by just 0.03 seconds.

And despite standing on the podium, Animesh himself did not look completely satisfied after the race.

The national record holder entered the competition as an overwhelming favorite in the 200m, especially after his record-breaking rise last year. But the final ultimately turned into another reminder of how brutally thin the margins are in Indian sprinting.

Kerala’s Jishnu Prasad finished second in 20.98s while Reliance athlete Abhay Singh secured the bronze in 21.01s.

ANIMESH IS STILL CHASING ITS BEST

However, the bigger concern for Indian athletics is that Animesh has still not rediscovered the level that allowed him to achieve a national record of 20.32s during the 2025 Asian Championships.

Since that breakthrough performance, the sprinter has not gone below 20.55 seconds in the 200m again, which is now starting to slightly worry fans heading into the Commonwealth and Asian Games cycle.

The disappointment is all the more acute as Animesh suffered a dramatic emotional swing earlier this week during the men’s 100m event.

On Friday, Gurindervir Singh initially broke Animesh’s national record by clocking 10.17s in the semi-final heats before Kujur responded almost immediately in 10.15s to claim the record.

But the story did not end there.

A day later, Gurindervir returned in the final and became the first ever Indian sprinter to conquer the symbolic 10.10 after clocking 10.09s, he again took the Animesh national record.

Now, just days later, Kujur narrowly missing the 200m CWG mark has added another emotional twist to an already dramatic week for Indian sprinting.

CAN ANIMESH KUJUR STILL RUN IN CWG?

Despite missing the qualification, Animesh still remains eligible for selection for the Commonwealth Games subject to the final discretion of the Athletics Federation of India.

The AFI selection committee can still select athletes who do not meet the direct qualification standard if they are considered strong medal contenders or among the country’s top international prospects.

With Animesh’s national record, recent performances and growing rivalry with Gurindervir Singh, the Odisha sprinter still remains one of India’s top sprinting hopes heading into the next major international cycle.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

25 May 2026 23:11 IST

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