Flying Sikh: How Gurindervir Singh Reclaimed the Title of Fastest Living Indian by Animesh Kujur

Gurindervir Singh of Punjab rose to national prominence in May 2026 when he ran the fastest 100m sprint ever recorded by an Indian. Racing alongside Animesh Kujur, Gurindervir clocked 10.09, bettering Animesh’s national record by a considerable margin.

The fact that the national record was traded three times in 24 hours was probably fascinating. First, Guri broke Animesh’s 10.18, set last year, by 0.01 seconds in heats. Animesh rose to the occasion early enough, bettering both Guri’s and his own timing by registering 10.15.

In the final showdown between the two, Guri ran ahead and posted a stunning time of 10.09he became the first ever Indian to dip below 10.10, which seemed like a distant dream just a few years ago.

But that’s not the story we’re telling today. Today’s story is about how Guri, once almost defeated by the disease, found himself the best again.

After winning the Fed Cup in 2026, Gurindervir threw his spikes hard on the ground only to pick them up moments later and kiss them. Raw emotion coming from a man who nearly lost his career in 2022.

CANCELING INDIA’S FASTEST MAN

Gurindervir Singh holds the national record for 100 meters. Courtesy: Gurindervir Singh Instagram

Gurindervir, who was training at the National Institute of Sports Patiala, fell ill, which caused the stomach lining to thin. Unable to absorb nutrients properly, Gurindervir lost that year to illness and spent much of 2023 recovering from it.

His previous best of 10.27 came back in 2021 when he was still just 21 years old. But after the illness, Gurindervir struggled to reach that level again. Even after an explosive comeback in 2024, when he won both the Federation Cup and the Interstate Championship, he still wasn’t running as fast as he used to.

The fight wasn’t just physical. Training at an elite level without seeing the same response from your body can be very taxing on an athlete. When Gurindervir joined the Reliance Foundation after the 2024 Fed Cup, he was initially overwhelmed by the intensity of the program.

Last year, Gurindervir admitted to ESPN that he went into the national games with negative thoughts in his head because he wasn’t sure if he was adapting properly to the level of training around him.

2nd Flying Sikh IS BORN! Gurindervir Singh broke the national record, 100 m in 10.09 seconds. Very close to Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58s, just half a second from history! Congratulations to the champion. Waheguru ji kripa rakhan sher putt te! #GurindervirSingh #FlyingSikh pic.twitter.com/EmiMqtYU13— HS Phoolka (@hsphoolka) May 24, 2026

After a few tough years, Gurindervir is back to his potential again. In March 2025, he became India’s fastest man, clocking 10:20 at the Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru. Guri may not have managed the rush of becoming India’s fastest man alive.

“I think his mind wasn’t prepared for what happened after that national record, it just went a bit crazy and he just wasn’t prepared for it. But he learned a lot from it,” Guri’s coach James Hillier told IndiaToday.in.

Three months later after setting India’s fastest time, Gurindervir lost that mark to newcomer Animesh Kujur, who burst onto the scene like few in Indian sprinting.

“Unfortunately Guri couldn’t back it up. He’s had a really tough year,” Hillier said.

Although they are really good friends on and off the track, neither Guri nor Animesh want to stand in the other’s shadow.

As Animesh made waves across the country, running in the Under-23 Diamond League and the World Athletics Championships alongside some of the best sprinters in the world, Guri quietly went back to work.

GURI’S BODY TRANSFORMATION

Gurindervir Singh reduced body fat to get in shape. Courtesy: Gurindervir Singh Instagram

“He probably worked harder. He definitely worked smarter,” says Hillier.

A Reliance insider told India Today that at one point, Guri had a body fat percentage of 14, which was not surprising for a naturally heavily built athlete. But he shaved it off and got to seven percent, he transforms his body to defeat Kujura.

James Hillier admitted as much without going into details.

“His body shape has changed completely since last year and especially the year before when he joined me, he was very big, very strong, but it was very heavy muscle. And now when you look at him, he is so lean, it’s really quality muscle, he’s extremely strong in the gym and his reactive qualities come out.”

GURINDERVIRA SINGH’S NATIONAL RECORD

After three disqualifications, including that of Animesh Kujur, former national record holder Gurindervir Singh won the gold medal with a time of 6.60 seconds in the men’s 60m final at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in pic.twitter.com/TXUNjZy6FU— nnis Sports (@nnis_sports) March 25, 2026

Hillier says the most amazing part of Guri’s body is his tendons, which are stronger than most athletes. When Guri moves, it’s similar to a mean bull running at you. Big and strong, he wants to smash everything in his path, unlike Animesh who, like his idol Usain Bolt, is more fluid in nature, with devastating top speed.

That top speed didn’t matter as Gurindervir simply refused to run out of energy at any point in the 100m race on a balmy Ranchi evening.

“He’s been a lot more disciplined in terms of recovery, sleep, all those things, so all those things have improved. He’s become a much more professional athlete,” Hillier says.

THE RISE OF ANIMESH KUJUR

Animesh Kujur trains under British Martin Owens. Courtesy: Animesh Kujur Instagram

And Animesh Kujur also has a little credit for that.

Kujur trains under the guidance of Briton Martin Owens, a coach brought in by Hillier himself four years ago. Animesh was not a sprinter at all when he first met Martin. He was tall and naturally fast, but he didn’t grow up to be a track athlete. He wanted to be a footballer instead.

When Animesh got into athletics full-time, he met Owens in the U23 competition, who immediately saw something in him.

This was around 2022 when Gurindervir was struggling with his health problems. With Guri sidelined due to illness, Animesh continued to improve as an athlete and eventually broke the national record in June 2025.

Guri woke up to a harsh reality the next day. His best just wasn’t good enough.

“Having two runners running and constantly breaking the record helps overall sprinting in India because it shows that it can be done. When James first came people said Indians can’t sprint, well we’re proving that wrong,” animesh coach Martin Owens, who was speaking alongside Hillier, told masthead.

Martin said that Animesh will now leave, dive deep into himself and find ways to defeat Gurindervir. His national record didn’t even last a year, which will make him rethink his position in the Indian sprinting scene.

“Nothing hurts more than being beaten by a training partner,” says Owens.

Hillier calls out.

“My training partner was and still is one of my best friends, but I still wanted to beat him on the track. That’s just the way it is. You can have healthy competition and mutual respect in the ranks. You don’t have to hate your competitors.”

GURINDERVIR’S TURNING POINT

Gurindervir Singh won the 60m sprint at the first Indoor Nationals held in Odisha. Courtesy: Gurindervir Singh Instagram

Over the past 12 months, Gurindervir has been setting up processes for his training campaign. He came to all his training sessions with a clear idea in his mind, a clear expectation of what he wanted to achieve that day.

Hillier said the turning point for the sprinter was when he saw his processes working after he won the 60m sprint at the first Indoor Nationals held in Odisha earlier this year.

A stunning timing of 6.60 seconds gave Gurindervir confidence that he was on the right track.

“He’s been building the foundations really smartly and confidently, and then the indoor nationals was a coming-of-age moment for him,” Hillier said.

This time, Gurindervir applied his hard-earned lesson. Don’t be swayed by the national record.

“He got a lot of confidence out of it and also showed that he’s mature enough to handle it emotionally and not settle for it or get distracted by it. That was really important and obviously he’s managed to stay healthy,” Hillier added.

RIVALRY PUSHING INDIAN SPRINT FORWARD

Ahead of the start of the season, the Athletics Federation of India set strict selection criteria for the Commonwealth Games in the men’s 100m sprint.

To reach the limit of 10.16 seconds, India’s fastest man Animesh Kujur had to break his own record.

Not only did Animesh break it, but so did Gurindervir, not once but twice in 24 hours. And if Gurindervir hadn’t done it, neither would Animesh, believe both the coaches at the Reliance camp.

As India prepares for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games later this year, these two men will remain in the limelight. Both are young and expected to improve over time in the coming years.

In the near future, Guri’s success will be determined by Animesh’s speed, while Animesh’s timing will depend on how much Guri pushes him in return. The Indian sprint finally has two men pushing forward.

In many ways, it’s not Gurindervir Singh vs Animesh Kujur. It is Gurindervir and Animesh Kujur.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

30 May 2026 10:10 AM IST