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First Post
08-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'Little improvements, lot's of training': How sprint sensation Animesh Kujur became India's fastest man
Having obliterated the national records in 100m and 200m, Animesh Kujur is now the undisputed fastest man in India. His coach, Martin Owens, explains his rapid rise. read more There hasn't been a more popular event than the 100m race in athletics. And sprint prodigy Animesh Kujur was the favourite as the athletes lined-up for the biggest event during the 2024 Federation Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The result though surprised everyone. Gurindervir Singh, who didn't have any sponsor at that time, won the race ahead of Kujur with an advantage of .15 seconds. The saving grace on the day was the Chhattisgarh-born athlete winning his favourite 200m race, with a timing of 20.62s. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fast forward a little over a year, Gurindervir now has some of the best support in the country with Reliance Foundation backing the athlete, but it's their original star, Kujur, who leads the race timings for India in both the 100m and 200m races. Record-breaking year for Kujur as records shatter At Federation Cup 2025 in April, Kujur broke the 200m national record (NR) of 20.52s with a blistering timing of 20.40s and then bettered it a few days later at the Asian Athletics Championship with a new NR of 20.32s. Even more sensational has been the 22-year-old's rapid rise in 100m. On 5 July, Kujur became the first Indian to hit a timing of 10.1s in the event, as he registered a new NR of 10.18s while winning the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting in Greece. Animesh Kujur sets a new 🇮🇳 NR in the men's 100m. He clocks 10.18 to win his heat at the Dromi International Sprint and Relays in Vari, Greece. He erases the old mark of 10.20 set by Gurindervir Singh. He also shaves nearly .10 seconds off his own previous best of 10.27 — jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) July 5, 2025 To become the first Indian athlete to achieve a sub-10.20 second time in the 100m, Kujur had to shave off nearly .10 seconds from his personal best of 10.27s as he broke the NR of 10.20s set by Gurindervir at the Indian Grand Prix in March 2025. While the lightning improvement in Kujur's race timings in the last 12 months may come as a surprise for many, his coach Martin Owens, also the head trainer at the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre, feels it has come a few months late. 'I think he was in shape to break it in February at the National Games,' Owens told Firstpost on a call from Switzerland. 'I thought he was in shape then to do it. He just got shocking appalling start. The blocks were a bit funny. I mean, he wouldn't admit that in public, but he was worried about the blocks were shaky and he was worried about foul start, so he sat and waited. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'But if you look at that race, if he'd started well, if he started like he did in the tour, he'd have broken national record then. No, not surprise at all. All we were waiting for was the right race.' Nonetheless, once Kujur scripted history at Athens, Owens could not keep calm. 'The stadium clock had come up at 10.20, which equals the old record. And the announcer just announced 10.18s and I'm screaming from a stand. 10.18, that's a new record. 10.18s, National Record. And it's legal. It's legal,' Owens, former running coach with England athletics, added, recalling his reaction to the first sub-10.20 second timing by an Indian in 100m. 'The thing is, the track wasn't particularly fast. It's not a fast track. It's not a hard, fast track. It's just been relayed. It was quite spongy. We haven't focussed on the 100m here. We've really focussed on the two (200m) because that's our best chance of getting to the World Championship.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD National record holder Animesh Kujur finished behind Gurindervir Singh at Federation Cup 2024 in 100m race. Image: PTI Kujur and coach Owens are currently engaged in more training at the Magglingen Sportzentrum, Bern in Switzerland as the Indian athlete gets ready for the Under-23 Men's 200m race at the Monaco Diamond League (11 July) on his European tour. Owens reveals that their aim is to help reduce Animesh his 200m timing to 20.16s, which would see him qualify for the World Athletics Championships. 'At the moment, we are working a lot on stuff. We work on speed endurance, top-end speed and everything. Curve running, running off the bend. He's got a good training group as well. He's got some really good young lads that push him in training.' And that's where his current European tour is crucial. It was a similar European trip last year that kicked off the sharp reduction in his race timings. 'Last year changed him as an athlete. I mean, you can be the best athlete in India and you can come to Europe and you know, you're not doing anything. So when he came, he saw what he needed to do, saw where he wanted to be. He wanted to be faster.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kujur's secret sauce to keep getting better Whether 20.16 will happen or not is impossible to predict, but the recent significant drop in his timings shows that Kujur is on the right path. But how is he making it happen? Owens believes it's the footballer-turned-sprinter's mindset, his belief in his ability and their shared commitment to improving every day. 'He's what we call intrinsically motivated. He wants to be the best Animesh Kujur. Not bother about the national records, doesn't bother about medals. He's not running for a job. He wants to be the best he can be. Everything else comes because of that. 'So if he becomes the best he can be, then he wins races, then he breaks national records. You know, we're working on stuff here today. You know, we were quite tired. We caught up this morning, was a long day travelling back from Athens. But we are out, working, making everything better. And that's what we're trying to do all the time is little improvements.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, how far can he go? Quite far, says Owens, considering his age and the support he's receiving. 'The average prime age in sprinting was about 21, 22 in the past. But that's because back in the day, you had to leave athletics and go get a proper job. Now people can make long careers out of it. So if you look at Shelly-Ann (Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce), she's still going at the age of 38, (Usain) Bolt was still going quite late. You know, you can make your career out of it. As long as you look after your body. And we really lucky. I mean, Animesh is really lucky. The setup in Bhubaneswar with a combination between the government and Reliance, he's got fantastic physio support. To keep the body in shape, nutrition is really important, sleep is really important. So he's got no pressure, really. '…So, yeah, he's just got to keep chipping away. He's just turned 22. He's got some Olympics in him. That's what we're aiming for. And we've got a 20.32s, maybe 20.16 is the time. It'll be nice.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Malaysia Sun
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Malaysia Sun
Jyothi Yarraji ruled out of 2025 season due to knee injury
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): Indian hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, due to an unfortunate knee injury during a training session, has to pause her 2025 athletics season. Yarraji said she is working with her medical team to assess options and make a decision on the way forward, according to 'Due to an unfortunate injury to my knee during training a few days back, I've had to put a pause on my season,' Yarraji posted on her Instagram story on Wednesday. 'I'm working with my medical team to assess my options and make a decision on the way forward. 'Injuries are part of an athlete's journey, and I am viewing this as just another hurdle I am going to overcome soon with all your support and blessings. I will be back stronger,' she added. Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Dr Adille J Sumariwalla later confirmed that the injury will require surgery and will sideline Jyothi for the entirety of the season, according to Yarraji, the national record holder in the women's 100m hurdles with a personal best timing of 12.78s, was last seen in action at the Taiwan Athletics Open last month, where she clinched a gold medal. The Indian athlete also clocked 12.96s to win gold at the Asian Athletics Championship earlier this year. Yarraji's injury also ends her bid to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which is set to take place from September 13 to 21. Yarraji won a silver medal at the Asian Games and started her 2025 season in February with a gold in the 100-meter hurdles and 200-meter run at the National Games before taking first place in the 100-meter hurdles at the Federation Cup. (ANI)
India Gazette
02-07-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Jyothi Yarraji ruled out of 2025 season due to knee injury
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): Indian hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, due to an unfortunate knee injury during a training session, has to pause her 2025 athletics season. Yarraji said she is working with her medical team to assess options and make a decision on the way forward, according to 'Due to an unfortunate injury to my knee during training a few days back, I've had to put a pause on my season,' Yarraji posted on her Instagram story on Wednesday. 'I'm working with my medical team to assess my options and make a decision on the way forward. 'Injuries are part of an athlete's journey, and I am viewing this as just another hurdle I am going to overcome soon with all your support and blessings. I will be back stronger,' she added. Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Dr Adille J Sumariwalla later confirmed that the injury will require surgery and will sideline Jyothi for the entirety of the season, according to Yarraji, the national record holder in the women's 100m hurdles with a personal best timing of 12.78s, was last seen in action at the Taiwan Athletics Open last month, where she clinched a gold medal. The Indian athlete also clocked 12.96s to win gold at the Asian Athletics Championship earlier this year. Yarraji's injury also ends her bid to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which is set to take place from September 13 to 21. Yarraji won a silver medal at the Asian Games and started her 2025 season in February with a gold in the 100-meter hurdles and 200-meter run at the National Games before taking first place in the 100-meter hurdles at the Federation Cup. (ANI)
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
I have the mindset of a tiger when I play for India: S.S. Sneha
Having tasted international success last month, it was easy pickings for S.S. Sneha at the Karnataka State Senior athletic meet here on Sunday. The sprinter, a 4x100m relay silver medallist at the Asian Athletics Championship, outclassed the competition at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, winning the 100m event (11.52s). The 27-year-old stated that the feeling of real competition creeps in during international races. 'There is not that much competition here in State-level tournaments, so there is no special mindset when I run here,' Sneha told The Hindu. 'I don't have the same level of mindset at the State level when compared to international events. At international tournaments, I have the mindset of a tiger because I have the 'India' badge all over my jersey,' Sneha said. She currently holds the joint meet record for the women's 100m at 11.3s, set during the 2024 Karnataka State Senior athletic meet. When asked if she believes that her record is safe, she said: 'No one's record is permanent. Youngsters coming in will easily beat the record if they do well in practice and if their mindset is good. Maybe next year I might break my own record.' Sneha stated that the main focus now shifts to the 2026 Asian Games, which will be held in Japan. 'The Asian Games next year is the main competition I'm focusing on. I'm not at my peak yet. For now, I'm just maintaining good form and giving each race my maximum,' she said.
Express Tribune
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Arshad Nadeem included in Forbes '30 Under 30' list for South Asia
Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan's trailblazing javelin thrower and the country's first individual Olympic gold medallist, has been named in Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for South Asia 2025. The annual list, which recognises young leaders, innovators, and changemakers across the region, included Nadeem in the Entertainment & Sports category. The honour reflects both his sporting excellence and cultural impact in Pakistan and beyond. Nadeem, 28, rose to global prominence after securing gold at the Paris Olympics, marking a historic moment for Pakistani athletics. His journey from Mian Channu, a modest town in Punjab, to international acclaim has made him a household name and an inspiration for young athletes across South Asia. Nadeem has played a significant part in elevating Pakistan's presence in global track and field competitions. His recent performances, including another gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championship, have consolidated his reputation as one of the top javelin throwers in the world. To date, Nadeem has won 5 gold medals across various different competitions. As he looks ahead to upcoming international events, Nadeem's inclusion in the Forbes list adds another milestone to a career defined by resilience and ambition. His story continues to resonate in a region where sport often carries broader social and national significance. With this recognition, Nadeem not only carries the javelin but also the aspirations of millions of Pakistanis, as he continues to chart new territory for the nation's sporting future.
