NEW DELHI: Indian athletics witnessed a historic moment on Saturday as Gurindervir Singh became the fastest Indian ever in the men’s 100m, prompting an excited reaction from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on social media.Gurindervir clocked a sensational 10.09 seconds during the National Senior Federation Competition, breaking the national record and becoming the first Indian sprinter to run below the 10.10-second mark.Tendulkar took to X to praise the Punjab sprinter’s remarkable achievement.“Incredibly proud of Gurindervir Singh for becoming the fastest Indian ever. What a phenomenal achievement. Keep sprinting ahead, champion!” Sachin posted while sharing visuals of the race.Record shattered twice in dramatic showdownThe men’s 100m battle between Gurindervir and Animesh Kujur turned into one of the most memorable sprint contests in Indian athletics history.Animesh had entered the competition as the national record holder after clocking 10.18 seconds last year and was widely considered the favourite.But the drama began on Friday itself when the 25-year-old Gurindervir ran 10.17 seconds in the semifinal to break the national record.Astonishingly, just five minutes later, Animesh responded by clocking 10.15 seconds in another semifinal heat to reclaim the record immediately.The national record had been broken twice within minutes.However, Gurindervir saved his best for the final on Saturday. The Punjab sprinter stormed to victory in 10.09 seconds, finishing comfortably ahead of Animesh and firmly etching his name into Indian athletics history.Asia’s second fastest time this seasonGurindervir’s timing is now the second fastest in Asia this season, behind only Japanese teenager Fukuto Komuro, who clocked 10.08 seconds earlier this year.The Indian sprinter also comfortably breached the Athletics Federation of India’s qualification mark of 10.16 seconds for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.Meanwhile, Pranav Gurav finished third in the final with a timing of 10.29 seconds.
