Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh underwhelm in 100m at Kalinga Stadium but target Asian Games

Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh produced below-par finishes in the men’s 100m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet at Kalinga Stadium on Saturday, August 22, 2026, yet both said the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games remain their primary objective. Kujur timed 10.32 for sixth and Gurindervir recorded 10.39 for ninth.

Kujur entered the meet with a season best of 10.14 and had run 10.30 in Belgium on August 1, while Gurindervir holds a national record of 10.09 set at the Federation meet in Ranchi in May. Gurindervir’s 10.39 matched his heats mark at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last month. Kujur is the 200m national record holder with 20.32, recorded in May 2025, and he exited the Commonwealth Games 200m semifinals with 20.65.

Gurindervir described the race start and the build-up of training load as reasons for his performance, saying, “I had a very good start. But I thought I slipped in the first two steps and would fall, so I slowed down and had to pick up again.” He added: “Our preparation is going well. The main target is the Asian Games. We can’t peak so soon. The training load is a bit high. We ran with that load. I, Animesh and everyone else on Friday (August21) and then ran. When we peak, the time will come down automatically.”

Kujur acknowledged a mid-race stumble that affected his balance, saying, “I stumbled a little at 10-15 metres. My balance was affected. Everyone got ahead of me. It’s okay.” He said the focus remains on executing races rather than chasing immediate times.

On race execution and preparation Kujur said: “It’s not about who is the fastest. It’s about who is best prepared on that day. I don’t target any medal or time. I just execute my race and the timing comes on its own,” he said.

Kujur outlined the immediate plan for the lead-up to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, stating: “The Athletics Federation of India is taking us to Japan early so we can acclimatise. We have time between the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games to load more. We will deload a bit — there is a Mondo track, which is a fast track. My main focus is 200m.”

Both athletes have identified the Asian Games as their main target and will follow the announced preparation schedule, including early travel to Japan for acclimatisation, as they aim to peak for that event.