Animesh reclaims 100m national record from Gurindervir within minutes in dramatic semi-final heats

The national record was smashed twice within minutes in men's 100m race as drama unfolded on the opening day of the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition here on Friday.

Gurindervir Singh of Reliance first shattered Animesh Kujur's 10-month-old national record of 10.18 seconds, clocking 10.17 seconds in the first semifinals heat. The new mark survived just a few minutes as Animesh ran 10.15 seconds in second semifinals heat to regain his record.

Both Gurindervir and Animesh will have another showdown in the final on Saturday.

Animesh, representing Odisha, went past the 2026 Commonwealth Games qualifying standard of 10.16 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

"It's all about hard work," said a jubilant Animesh after the race.

Fierce competition was also witnessed at the jumping arena on the opening day.

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Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan, India's two heavyweights in women's long jump, battled it out to stay ahead of the other.

Eventually it was Ancy's day out as she won the event with a distance of 6.75m, bettering the meet record of 6.64m set by Shaili last year in Kochi. Ancy, who was representing Indian Navy, had a steady series of 6.47m, 6.56m, 6.69m, 6.75m, 6.68m and 6.57m.

Shaili, representing Anju Bobby George Sports Foundation, settled for the second place with a jump of 6.58m.

In the morning session, Deepak Bhatt of Uttarakhand won the men's 10,000m race with a mediocre time of 29 minutes and 42.93 seconds.

Karnataka's Shivaji M apparently suffered dehydration in the gruelling race under hot conditions and was helped by the team coaches.

Ravina Gayakwad of Maharashtra won the women's 10,000m race with a time of 35:30.98, far below the 2026 CWG mark of 31:14.14.

The meet is significant as it is the first time the AFI will conduct SRY Gene Test at the national level in a bid to ensure that only biological females compete in women's category. It's a mandatory once-in-a-lifetime test and will be conducted via a cheek swab or blood test.

The AFI will also start DNA testing of the Indian athletes to collect and preserve their data which could be used later for research and development, prevention of injuries, among other reasons. The results and records of both the SRY tests and DNA tests will be kept confidential.

Besides being the final selection event for the 2026 CWG in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2), the May 22-25 Federation Competition will also serve as the trials for the inaugural Asian U23 Championships, to be held in China from July 9 to 12.

Day 1 Results: Men: 10,000m: Deepak Bhatt (Uttarakhand) 29:42.93, Shailesh Kushwaha (Karnataka) 29:57. 56, Prashant Choudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 30:36.97.

Hammer throw: Ashish Jakhar (SSCB) 68.52m, Damneet Singh (Reliance) 67.62m, Ajay Kumar (Haryana) 64.93m. Women: 10,000m: Ravina Gayakwad (Maharashtra) 35:30.98 secs, Soniya (Uttarakhand) 36:16.22, Aarti Pawara (Maharashtra) 36:24.79 secs.

Long jump: Ancy Sojan (Navy) 6.75m (MR), Shaili Singh (Anju Bobby George Academy) 6.58m, Bhavani Yadav (NCOE Bengaluru) 6.39m.