New Delhi: The final day of the men’s 60m event at the National Indoor Athletics Championships ended in drama as Gurindervir Singh won gold and set a new national record. The match took an unexpected turn after favorite Animesh Kujur was disqualified, completely changing the outcome.Gurindervir, competing indoors for the first time, won the gold medal with a time of 6.60 seconds, surpassing the previous national indoor best of 6.67 seconds. However, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) does not maintain an official list of national indoor records.
A chaotic start to the game was also a focus, with three false starts. The third one resulted in Animesh Kujur being disqualified, surprising the audience.Gurindervir admitted that he actually wanted Animesh to run in the race, saying: “He (Animesh got off to a bad start. I thought if he ran, I would also run better because the competition would be intense. The crowd was his too. It would have been better if he ran.”He even tried to convince the officials, adding, “So I said to the match officials, let him run under protest.”Despite the distractions, Gurindervir remained focused. “No, my job is to race. I told myself it doesn’t matter if I run alone,” he said.Explaining his approach, he said: “The distance is short. If someone is ahead of you, you can’t catch him. No one knows who will win. Even the world champion can lose.” He added that a strong start was key: “It’s important to start the 60m and then go fast. I had a good start.”Looking back on his journey, Gurindervir revealed that he struggled mentally last year. “Last year, I also started with a national record. But then, I became discouraged… I became very negative. I was having a bad time. However, I hope to be a different Gurindervir this time.”In another event, Tamil Nadu’s G Reegan won the pole vault title with a clearance of 5.30m but failed to break the national record. “I was just trying to execute my plan. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t break the national record, but I’m improving,” he said.
National Indoor Track and Field Championships results
- Men: 60m: Gurindervir Singh (Reliance) 6.60 seconds, Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odisha) 6.65 seconds, Nuzrat (Haryana) 6.71 seconds.
- 400m: Mohammad Sinan (Reliance) 48.27 seconds, Mohammad Badusha (BSF) 49.83 seconds, Aryan Eka (Odisha) 49.86 seconds.
- 1500m: Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 3:46.13 seconds, Jagdish (Air Force) 3:50.11 seconds, Sunil Yadav (Rajasthan) 3:50.56 seconds.
- Triple jump: Vimal Mukesh (Navy) 15.41m, Robinson S (Tamil Nadu) 14.67m, Naresh Rohidas (Odisha) 13.92m.
- Pole vault: Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) 5.30m, Rambeer Singh (Army) 4.85m, Bineesh Jacob (Railway) 4.55m.
- High jump: Swadhin Kumar Majhi (Odisha) 2.18m, Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Maharashtra) 2.15m, Dhairyshil D (Maharashtra) 2.15m.
- Women: 60m: Harita Bhandra (Maharashtra) 7.32 seconds, Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) 7.46 seconds, Trisha Nair (Maharashtra) 7.62 seconds.
- 400m: Kumari Saloni Nagar (Uttar Pradesh) 55.73 seconds, Sukhi Baskey (Odisha) 55.67 seconds, Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) 56.45 seconds.
- Triple jump: Mallala Anusha (JSW) 13.20m, Nimisha Dayma (JSW) 12.93m, Bhairabi Roy (West Bengal) 12.81m.
- High jump: Payal Jamod (Gujarat) 1.71m, Kevinna Ashwine (Tamil Nadu) 1.71m, Pramilla Rajgar (West Bengal) 1.68m.
