Animesh Kujur is the greatest Indian sprinter by far: World Athletics vice-president
'As a sprinter myself, I can tell you he's the best sprinter India has ever produced — by far. We always said we're looking for a six-foot sprinter. We found one. He's got great acceleration,' Sumariwalla, who has also been the Athletics Federation of India president in the past, told India Today.Sumariwalla backed Kujur to break the 10-second barrier (100m) in the future.'I have no doubt he can run 10 seconds flat. He manages the last part of the race brilliantly. If he gets a better start, I'm confident he'll hit that mark,' Sumariwalla concluded.Kujur, Sachin aiming personal bestsThe sprinter himself was present at the press conference alongside Sumariwalla and other officials. The soft-spoken sprinter said that his goal was to be around his personal best mark, after what has been a tiring season.Kujur is expected to qualify for the World Athletics Championships final through the ranking system. This is expected to be one of his last events before he goes into training and recovers before the summit clash in Tokyo.'I want to be around my personal best (20.32 in 200m). I was very, very tired when I was in Europe. We ran in a lot of competitions, and the weather gave me trouble,' Kujur said.Beside Kujur sat the unmissable Sachin Yadav, who has drawn a lot of attention as the next big thing in Indian javelin after Neeraj Chopra. The athlete was not able to finish on the podium at the recently concluded Neeraj Chopra Classic.
Kujur and Sachin are aiming to put up a show at the Continental tour (Image credit: Kingshuk Kusari)
Sachin revealed that he had twisted his ankle in his very first throw in Bengaluru that night and was not able to give his best in the rest of the attempts.advertisementSachin will have the familiar name of Rumesh Pathirage as his competition. The 22-year-old Pathirage shocked the crowd in Bengaluru that night by claiming the bronze medal behind Neeraj and the veteran Julius Yego.And it might just be the competition that spurs Sachin back into his very best. The Indian star is already in the mood. Brimming with steely confidence, Sachin said ahead of the competition that he wanted to break his personal best in Bhubaneshwar.Sachin's best is 85.16m. If he breaches 86m, he will get one step closer to Neeraj, who is still the gold standard in Indian javelin.A top showing from Kujur and Sachin on Sunday could shift the gears of Indian sporting culture.Sumariwalla put it best.'I keep telling people: when you hold a meet here, and the general public comes to watch, that's when you start building a sporting culture. You don't make champions overnight. Otherwise, you'll only get one Neeraj (Chopra) once in a few generations.'And that is what Sunday represents — a glimpse of what India can become if more champions are born not by chance, but by a system that supports them from start to finish.- Ends
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