Gurindervir Singh (PTI Photo/Gurinder Osan) NEW DELHI: The final day of the National Athletics Indoor Championships ended with high drama in the men’s 60m event where Gurindervir Singh won gold and set a new national record. The race took an unexpected turn after favorite Animesh Kujur was disqualified, completely changing the outcome.Running his first indoor event, Gurindervir clocked 6.60 seconds to win the gold and better the previous national indoor best of 6.67 seconds. However, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) does not maintain an official list of national indoor records.
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Jay Shah’s 2036 Olympics plan for India: ‘8 medals won’t cut it’ Attention was also paid to the chaotic start of the race, which recorded three false starts. The third resulted in the disqualification of Animesh Kujur, leaving the crowd stunned.Admitting that he actually wanted Animesh to compete, Gurindervir said, “He (Animesh) got off to a bad start. I thought if he runs, I will also run better because there will be tough competition. The crowd was also his. It would be better if he ran.”He even tried to convince the officials, adding: “So I told the race officials to let him run in protest.”Despite the disruption, Gurindervir remained focused. “No, my job was to run my race. I thought it was okay to run alone,” he said.Explaining his approach, he said: “It’s a short distance. If someone overtakes you, you can’t catch them. Nobody knows who will win. Even the world champion can lose.” He added that a strong start is key: “The start is important in the 60 m and then just run fast. I have a good block start.”Reflecting on his journey, Gurindervir revealed that he struggled mentally last year. “I also started with a national record last year. But later I got demotivated… I became very negative. I had such bad times. But I hope to be a different Gurindervir this time.”In another event, Tamil Nadu’s G Reegan won the pole vault with 5.30m but missed out on breaking the overall national record. He said: “I just wanted to carry out my plans. I’m a bit disappointed because I couldn’t make the national record, but I’m improving.”
Results of the national championship in indoor athletics
- Men: 60m: Gurindevir Singh (Reliance) 6.60 seconds, Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odisha) 6.65 seconds, Nuzrat (Haryana) 6.71 seconds.
- 400m: Mohammed Sinan (Reliance) 48.27 seconds, Muhammed Badusha (BSF) 49.83 seconds, Aryan Ekka (Odisha) 49.86 seconds.
- 1500m: Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 3:46.13 seconds, Jagdish (Air Force) 3:50.11 seconds, Sunil Yadav (Rajasthan) 3:50.56 seconds.
- Triple Jump: Vimal Mukesh (Navy) 15.41m, Robinson S (Tamil Nadu) 14.67m, Naresh Rohidas (Odisha) 13.92m.
- Pole Vault: Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) 5.30m, Rambeer Singh (Army) 4.85m, Bineesh Jacob (Railways) 4.55m.
- High Jump: Swadhin Kumar Majhi (Odisha) 2.18m, Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Maharashtra) 2.15m, Dhairysil D (Maharashtra) 2.15m.
- Women: 60m: Harita Bhandra (Maharashtra) 7.32 seconds, Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) 7.46 seconds, Trisha Nair (Maharashtra) 7.62 seconds.
- 400m: Kumari Saloni Nagar (Uttar Pradesh) 55.73 seconds, Sukhi Baskey (Odisha) 55.67 seconds, Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) 56.45 seconds.
- Triple Jump: Mallala Anusha (JSW) 13.20m, Nimisha Dayma (JSW) 12.93m, Bhairabi Roy (West Bengal) 12.81m.
- High Jump: Payal Jamod (Gujrat) 1.71m, Kevinna Ashwine (Tamil Nadu) 1.71m, Pramilla Rajgar (West Bengal) 1.68m.
