Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh progress to men's 100m semi-finals at Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya

Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh advanced to the men's 100 metres semi-finals at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on Thursday, September 24, after progressing from their respective first-round heats on Day 5 of the tournament.

Kujur, 23, ran in Heat 1 and recovered from a slow start to make ground in the final 25 metres, finishing third to take a direct semi-final spot; Thailand’s Puripol Boonson won that heat in a season-best 9.95 seconds while China’s Keli Zeng recorded 10.22 seconds.

Gurindervir Singh entered the rounds with a personal best of 10.09 seconds and was described as a heavy favourite; the 25-year-old competed in Heat 4 and finished second in 10.38 seconds behind Oman’s Malham Al Balushi, who clocked 10.29 seconds.

The two Indian sprinters, together with Iran’s Hassan Taftian, secured direct entries to the semi-final stage after their performances in the heats.

Elsewhere for India on Day 5, Asha Ilango and Niharika Vashisht placed fourth and ninth respectively in the women’s triple jump, and Anamika Kozhinjaparambil and Pooja Sharma are taking part in the women’s heptathlon.

India will also aim to defend its men’s and women’s javelin throw titles in the coming days, although neither reigning champion Annu Rani nor Neeraj Chopra is part of the current athletics contingent.

The men's 100m semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, September 26, from 4:03 PM IST onwards.