Animesh Kujur Sprints into History, Shatters Indian 100m Record in Greece

Animesh Kujur has etched his name in Indian athletic history by shattering the national record in the 100m sprint. He achieved this milestone at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting in Greece.

India's Animesh Kujur delivered a stunning performance, clocking an impressive 10.18 seconds in the 100m. In doing so, he became the first Indian to run the distance in under 10.20 seconds. Simultaneously in Poland, Mohammed Afsal also made headlines by breaking the 800m national record, underscoring the rising prominence of Indian sprinters on the global stage.

Animesh Kujur runs 100m in 10.18 seconds in Greece. (PTI Photo)

Kujur's record-breaking run occurred during the second heat of the competition. The 22-year-old sprinter surpassed Gurindervir Singh's previous national record of 10.20 seconds, set in Vari, a suburb of Athens.

In the same event, Sotirios Garagganis of Greece secured second place with a time of 10.23 seconds, followed by Samuli Samuelsson in third with 10.28 seconds.

Kujur now proudly holds both the 100m and 200m national records. Earlier this year, he clocked 20.32 seconds in the men's 200m final at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, surpassing his own previous record of 20.40 seconds.

Afsal Breaks 800m National Record

Adding to the nation's athletic achievements, Mohammed Afsal, a silver medalist at the Asian Games, broke his own national record in the men's 800m race. He became the first Indian to complete the race in under 1 minute and 45 seconds. This feat was accomplished at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poznan, Poland.

Afsal's time of 1:44.96 minutes earned him sixth place in Heat A/1 of the event.

Prior to this, Afsal had set a national record of 1:45.61s at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, breaking Jinson Johnson's seven-year-old record of 1:45.65s, set in 2018.

At the event in Poland, the top three positions were claimed by Polish runners. Maciej Wyderka secured first place with a personal best and meet record time of 1:44.23s. Filip Ostrowski (1:44.25s) and Patryk Sieradzki (1:44.56s) finished second and third, respectively, also achieving their personal bests.