Animesh Kujur has etched his name in Indian athletic history by shattering the national record in the men's 100m sprint at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting in Vari, Greece. The 22-year-old from Odisha clocked an impressive 10.18 seconds, becoming the first Indian to break the 10.20-second barrier.
Kujur's record-breaking performance took place on Saturday at the Municipal Stadium of Vari K Baglatzis. He won Final B, outpacing Greek athlete Sotirios Garagganis (10.23 seconds) and Finland's Samuli Samuelsson (10.28 seconds). Overall, he secured third place behind South Africa's Benjamin Richardson (10.01) and Oman's Ali Anwar Al-Balushi (10.12). His time of 10.18 seconds shaved 0.02 seconds off the previous national record of 10.20 seconds, set by Gurindervir Singh at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Bengaluru earlier this year. Kujur also improved his personal best by 0.09 seconds from his previous mark of 10.27 seconds. The wind assistance during the race was well within the legal limit at +1.7 m/s, making the time eligible for national record status.
This achievement marks a significant milestone for Indian sprinting, an area where the country has traditionally lagged behind global standards. An Athletics Federation of India official stated, "It's a proud moment for Indian athletics. Animesh has consistently raised the bar this year and his timing in Greece shows he is ready for the international stage".
Kujur’s victory was met with widespread acclaim. Social media buzzed with congratulatory messages from fans, athletes, and officials, with many hailing his performance as a reflection of India's growing prominence in global athletics. Discussions have already begun about whether Kujur could be the athlete to propel India under the 10-second mark.
Kujur's success in Greece is not an isolated event. He has been steadily improving his performance, rewriting the national 200m record twice this season. In April, he clocked 20.40 seconds, and then in May, he improved it to 20.32 seconds at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where he won a bronze medal. He also ran the 200m in 20.27 seconds at the AthleticGeneve tournament in June, but the timing was not considered for the official record due to a wind assistance of +2.3m/s. He now holds both the 100m and 200m national records.
The ongoing European tour has been crucial in Kujur's development, exposing him to faster runners and different training methods. As Kujur himself stated last year, the European tour was "life-changing".
In other events at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting, Lalu Bhoi finished fourth in the 100m men's Final A with a wind-assisted time of 10.42, followed by Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati with 10.47. Kujur also participated in the men's 200m race, finishing seventh with 20.73 seconds, while his teammate Manikanta Hoblidhar finished 11th with 21.28 seconds. The Indian 4x100m relay team, consisting of Animesh Kujur, Lalu Bhoi, Jayaram Dondapati, and Gurindervir Singh, finished second behind Turkiye with a time of 39.99 seconds. In the women's events, Moumita Mondal achieved a personal best of 13.24 seconds in the 100m hurdles.
On the same day, at the Memorial Czesława Cybulskiego meet in Poznan, Poland, Asian Games silver medalist Mohammed Afsal broke his own national record in the men's 800m, becoming the first Indian to run the 800m in under 1:45, clocking 1:44.96 minutes.
