Indian 200m national record holder Animesh Kujur produced another historic performance on Saturday, clocking a personal best of 10.14 seconds to finish second in the men’s 100m final at the 2026 PUMA Fast Arms Fast Legs competition at Enwag-Stadion, Wetzlar, Germany.
The 10.14-second effort is the fastest 100 meters ever recorded by an Indian on foreign soil and the second-fastest time by an Indian overall, behind only national leader Gurindervir Singh’s 10.09 seconds.
Animesh had shown his form earlier in the day by winning his heat in 10.19 seconds before improving further in the final. The final run shaved a hundredth of a second off his previous mark of 10.15 seconds and continued a season in which he has steadily reduced his times.
Already the national record holder in the men’s 200 metres, Animesh has established himself among India’s fastest sprinters in the shorter distance as well. He now owns three of the five fastest times by an Indian in the 100 metres.
INDIA’S FASTEST MEN’S 100M TIMES OF ALL TIME
- Gurindervir Singh – 10.09s
- Animesh Kujur – 10.14s
- Animesh Kujur – 10.15s
- Gurindervir Singh – 10.17s
- Animesh Kujur – 10.18s
At the beginning of June, the The Odisha sprinter qualified for the men’s 200 meters in the top continental competition after clocking 20.74 seconds in the final of the National Inter-State Athletics Championships, comfortably beating the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) qualifying standard of 20.88 seconds.
While the qualifying mark was easily achieved, Animesh later admitted that the time did not reflect the standards he had set for himself. His personal best in the event remains the national record of 20.32 seconds.
“Honestly, I was not here to measure the time. The idea was to secure qualification for the Asian Games. Since I already have it, I will focus on improving before the Asian Games,” Animesh told reporters after the race.
The Interstate Championships came soon after the Asian Relay Championships, where Animesh helped India win bronze in the 4x100m mixed relay. His coach, Martin Owens, said the priority had been qualifying rather than chasing a fast time after a demanding travel schedule.
“I wanted him to do well and reach the qualifying mark. We are very tired from the long journey of the Asian Relay Championships. He didn’t have much time to recover,” Owens said.
Although Animesh has repeatedly described the 200 meters as his preferred event, his biggest gains over the past year have come in the 100 meters.
After setting the national 200-meter record of 20.32 seconds in May 2025, he has only fallen below the 20.50-second mark once. In contrast, he lowered the Indian 100m record twice before Gurindervir Singh reclaimed it with 10.09 seconds, the national best.
Animesh believes the difference lies in the level of competition.
“I have said this several times that 200 meters is my favorite event and I enjoy doing it more than anything else. However, I don’t have much competition in India. Like in 100 metres, Guri, Manikanta and Pranav are there. I don’t have anyone to push me in 200 metres. That’s why all my good performances have come in 100 metres,” he said.
– Finish
